To See the Sun Smile
by Zeffyface
Summary: What is not real does not matter, but where does the line between truth and illusion lie? Rated to be safe, some blood and romance in later chapters. Male Sheik, but not AU. Complete!
1. Lullaby

**DISCLAIMER:** All of The Legend of Zelda Characters and Places belong to Nintendo, and maybe some other equally important organizations/people. They are not, nor have they ever been mine. I just write silly fics.

This story is dedicated to my best friend.

**To See the Sun Smile**

**Part One**

**Lullaby**

The autumn leaves and branches cut through the setting sunlight, creating fragmented patches of golden light and shadow across the forest floor. From the edge of the wood one could see the rolling hills of Hyrule caught in a momentary blaze, a last brush of warmth before the air cooled to night. It was a picture of life and glory, and for that piece of time it seemed nothing impure could touch the blessed earth.

But the moment never lasted, the second the sun finally dipped below the horizon the stalchildren would come to prey on the naïve.

At least, Sheik mused as he watched the passing light from his seat against a sturdy trunk, he could not be considered naïve. He had stopped trusting the sunset long ago.

He dipped his head, bandaged fingers strumming the strings of his lyre in no particular melody. It had become a nervous habit to play; something in the feel of the chords and the soft notes allowed him to think – or, he considered, not think. For the past half hour he had valiantly attempted to battle all thought from his head with some success, were it not for the persistent pulling throb in his back and left shin. The two combined made for constant reminders of just what his mind was trying to avoid. Beneath the white cowl flashed a hint of a scowl as crimson eyes attempted to glare the pain in his leg away, but after a few futile seconds Sheik gave up, sitting carefully back against the bark with a resigned sigh.

He wondered if Link could still enjoy the sunset.

X

_In that moment, it had taken every ounce of training he had received not to panic. Awakening to the smell of wet dirt and smoke in Kakariko village, the blue-clad Sheikah had rolled over and found the crumpled form of the Hero of Time facedown five yards away. His sword had proved useless against the spirit locked within the well – he had most likely known as much before he drew them to stand between the spirit and his fallen comrade. With a shuddering groan and a string of silent curses in four languages, Sheik crawled over and slid a hand under the green-clad chest, rolling the limp body as gently as he could manage. His other hand found the pulse point at Link's neck, waiting. At the soft beat he let out a breath, realizing from his aching lungs that he must have held it for near a minute._

_Link's eyelids stirred and cracked open then, sweeping Sheik with a dazed azure gaze. A bruise had already begun to form across the hero's jaw line, and a trickle of red mixed with the mud over his left eyebrow. Sheik removed his hand from the other's neck, searching the pale orbs for recognition. "Hero?"_

_At the sound of the voice Link blinked, lifting from the haze. "Sheik?" The low tenor hitting his ears made Sheik exhale again in relief before he nodded. Link moved to sit up, and Sheik quickly increased the pressure on his chest, pushing him back to the ground._

_"Stay still – I don't know the extent of your injuries, and you may have a concussion."_

_Link lifted his head to observe his position and let out a sheepish chuckle. "That's okay, I have a hard head." He cut a look back up to the other and his grin faded, eyebrows drawing together in an unreadable expression. Before Sheik could open his mouth, a gauntleted hand came up, brushing the cloth of his mask just below his ear. Sheik froze, the concerned question plunging down to his stomach at the soft pressure. The fingers followed some unseen line, and Sheik suddenly felt the other's hand brush against bare skin. His eyes widened in surprise, aware of a slight draft and twinge of pain, signifying a cut through the cloth along his jaw._

_Suddenly and inexplicably Sheik become conscious of his proximity, as well as his hand that had at some point moved to rest on the toned muscles of Link's abdomen. Link stared at the revealed section of skin as if transfixed, his thumb tracing idly below the cut. Sheik had never before come this close to the Hero of Time, preferring to watch from a safe distance. Up close the hero's features proved even more perfectly chiseled, the dirty blond hair somehow graceful even mussed and covering the deep pools of blue._

_The strands looked soft…_

_The shock of that stray thought snapped the Sheikah out of his daze. He quickly swallowed; attempting to quell the blood going to his cheeks as he discretely removed his hand from the other man's stomach. Whatever these thoughts were, he could sort them out later, when Link was not suffering head trauma or cradling his face. "Can you feel anything broken?"_

_Link stopped for a confused second, seemingly realizing what he had been doing, and brought his hand back to flex experimentally. "Nah, just a little banged up." He slowly sat up again and flashed an apologetic grin. "Sorry about back there; guess I showed up at the worst time."_

_Sheik shook his head. "I should not have been distracted." He pushed himself to a standing position, wincing as weight hit his left leg but quickly shifting to hide it. Luckily Link had turned away, retrieving his sword before a slightly hysterical bright blue ball of light zipped in front of his face. Despite himself, Sheik felt his lips twitch to a smile as he watched the Hero of Time console a gibbering Navi, only managing to calm the fairy down by taking a mouthful of red potion._

_Sheik took a breath, clearing his mind for the upcoming explanation and speech. He certainly was not going to think about how, when the hero turned his face before, he could swear he saw the hint of a blush._

X

_It was raining in Kakariko village again, blending the already gray surroundings until they ran together in the background. The solitary figure standing in the graveyard could have easily been a statue if not for the drenched green fabric clinging to the frozen frame. He had stood there for the better part of an hour, hands clenched so tight they would be drawing blood if not for the gloves, simply staring at the ledge on the far end. When a voice finally broke the silence, it wavered slightly, almost as the voice of a child._

_"I don't want to go back in, Navi…"_

_The sound carried a haunted plea, soft, but so piercing Sheik felt it hit someplace in his chest. It was the bleak, empty void in Link's eyes, however, that made his intestines twist to the point of physical pain. Somewhere deep in those pools of blue a sparkle that had always existed disappeared, replaced by something hollow and fearful. The rain trickled down the pale contours of the hero's cheeks unheeded, the blond locks dripping onto his unblinking lashes. He continued to simply stare at his memory, and suddenly Sheik wished nothing more than to leap down and wrap his arms around the soaked form until whatever daemons surrounding him disappeared. Navi stopped her usually haphazard flight to float next to Link's shoulder, attempting encouragement. "But, you're big now Link, it won't be so bad, we can do it…"_

_Sheik watched Link's shoulders slump and his head bow. It was when the Hero's arms began shaking that his stomach stopped twisting knots. Now it seemed to have turned to lead._

_Link had always done what was asked of him, never even expecting so much as a thank you in return. He allowed himself to be ripped back and forth through time, shoved into battles against unbeatable opponents, and given directions with little to no explanation save a speech and a song. It was only now, watching the hero near agony and knowing he would have to walk in anyway, that Sheik realized just how much sacrifice the Triforce of courage could mean. He was not without fear. He just didn't have the luxury of giving into it._

_Pulling out his lyre, the Sheikah pulled the highest string. To his ears it made no sound, but from the cease in Navi's speech he knew it was heard. The little blue fairy turned slightly, her keen eyes picking up on the otherwise unnoticed figure. Sheik fixed her with a meaningful crimson gaze, making a tiny nod and wave. The blue wings beat once before turning back to the figure still before the temple entrance._

_"Link, why don't we get some rest before we try again, and restock your potions? Or we could get a fairy or two, there's no point in going in exhausted. Um…I bet Saria'd be glad to hear from you, and there's a fairy fountain in the woods, why don't we go see how the village is?"_

_At the sudden change in conversation Link blinked and gave the fairy a suspicious look, but thankfully a much less empty one. When the little light continued going on about anything and everything other than the temple in front of them with no sign of stopping the blond finally cracked a small lopsided smile._

_"All right Navi, we'll go see about some fairies first."_

_"Good! Cause you know, I could use a nap anyway, and I think you need a bath…" Link's soft laugh echoed back as he walked down the path to the village._

_Leaping nimbly from his perch, Sheik stowed his lyre beneath the tabard on his back and faced the looming entrance. He could not defeat the shadow temple's host without the master sword, but that meant nothing when it came to the other obstacles. His hands went to the wrapped guards on his wrists, automatically checking the concealed knives between the bandages and thick fabric as well as the comforting pressure of the dirks in his boots. With a mental note to thank Navi later he straightened, the eyes beneath his blond bangs steeled._

_No, he could not finish the task for him, but he could at least clear the way._

_Giving no sign of his favored ankle, the masked warrior walked purposefully into the darkness._

X

Beneath the shelter of branches, Sheik felt a tired happiness tug the corners of his mouth. It was two days later when Link stepped out of the teleporting light of the purified temple, battered, but triumphant. Navi had danced around him, gibbering praises, admonishments, and opinions in no particular order. Sheik had simply tried to memorize that smile - the way the left side came just a little higher than the right, how his cheek muscles lifted, the softness that showed at the corners of the Hero's eyes. Somehow it always reminded him of sunshine.

The hand gliding over the harp strings halted as a wince crossed the masked face; from the feel of it a muscle in his back had shifted and tore open a healing laceration. He groaned mentally and gently placed the lyre on the earth beside him. For some reason the potions he carried could not help the wounds, and he grimaced at the feel of warm blood seeping through the bandages. Not good. Blinking to a fairy fountain was an option, but in his current state it was possible he would lose concentration halfway through and end up in a lava pit. He had surprised himself by making it here from Kakariko. He glanced ruefully at the instrument next to him, playing with the highest string. No answer would come this far from a fountain, he knew. _If only fairies could really appear that easily._

The last rays of sun were slowly disappearing, and Sheik reluctantly began easing to his feet, careful not to jar his back or put too much weight on his ankle but feeling both protest nonetheless. This section of land was relatively safe, but he still could not risk sleeping here. He would simply have to try and walk to a safer refuge. He had just finished standing when a blue ball of light flew in front of his face, making him jerk back, knives in hand before he identified the target.

"_Sheik! Are you okay_?" A familiar, high-pitched voice rang out from the blue haze. Sheik's eyes adjusted, revealing a tiny blue figure staring at him with concern.

"Navi?" Sheik relaxed, and then winced as he felt something tear a little more. "What are you doing here – where is the hero?" The fairy dropped her eyes, looking, Sheik realized with some surprise, rather guilty.

_"I… kinda left him in the village_." She started talking faster, as if afraid of being interrupted. "_I mean, he was really tired and I figured since you hadn't showed up yet he could use some rest and he didn't have anywhere to go just then so I snuck out when he was sleeping_ –"

"…Navi."

" _– and then I heard your harp and I figured you wanted to be alone but you played that one note that you did last time so I thought maybe you had something important _–"

"Navi…"

" _– and it's not like he can't look after himself for one night, right? I know he won't go do anything stupid until I get back anyway –_"

"Navi!" Sheik was leaning heavily against the tree trunk now, his breathing slightly shaky from trying to maintain an upright position. The fairy froze in midair.

"_Woah, Sheik, you're really hurt, I'm sorry! Here, stay there and I'll get Link_ –"

"No!" Sheik raised a hand, stopping the little fairy from darting off. "I… would rather the Hero not know about this."

"_But you're bleeding! I'm sure he's got some potions left…_"

Sheik shook his head, blond bangs illuminated in the fading light. "Potions don't work, anyway. I just need some time to heal."

The little fairy simply watched him a moment. When she spoke again, it was softer, almost mellow. "_You got those in the Shadow temple, didn't you?_" Sheik's uncovered eye flicked back up to stare at her. "_Link's wounds didn't heal right either – we had to use fairies for the really bad ones. You went into the temple before him, and you don't want him to know about it_." Despite himself, Sheik was impressed at this rather intuitive side of the seemingly shallow fairy. He nodded again.

Navi's wings had stopped sending her in her usual bobbing circles, opting to simply hover in front of the other's face. She gave a high-pitched sigh. "_All right, I won't tell him_."

Sheik smiled, a tired twitch of his cheekbones. "Thank you, Navi." His knees quaked a little in exhaustion, and his arms felt unusually heavy. "I need to sleep before I pass out, so I'm afraid I must cut our conversation short."

Navi crossed her tiny arms, apparently deciding something. "_I'll stay here, then_."

Sheik stared in hazed confusion. "Hm?"

"_Well, you probably should have someone keep watch, right? It's not like you can move anywhere like that, and it's dangerous out here."_

…That, made sense? Sheik attempted to blink away the fog hitting his brain in order to figure out why he should refuse such an offer.

"_Look, I'll just sit here, okay? Link owes you one anyway, so we can say he's lending me without knowing it_." Navi had moved to stand on the white cloth covering his shoulder, and appeared to be trying to push him down. Strangely enough, it was working, as he was soon stretched out on the soft earth beneath the tree, pillowing his head on his arms. Navi looked at the uncovered section of face; brow still furrowed slightly in discomfort, and sighed. Sheik mumbled something that got swallowed by his cowl. "_What was that_?"

"Thanks for making him smile." The blond burrowed a little farther into the thick fabric on his forearms, his breathing evening out.

The fairy's wings flickered in amusement as she floated up to a few feet above the sleeping form. "_Anytime_."


	2. Ballad

**Part Two**

**Ballad**

"_Are you just everywhere I go?"_

_Sheik turned and looked at the amused patches of sky beneath him. If he was honest with himself, he had not in fact expected to meet the hero at Lake Hylia and just suffered several heart attacks. It was a good thing he was rarely honest in his own head. He turned to look back at the stars from his perch, lyre still softly ringing._

_"It is my duty to ensure the tasks are carried out, Hero."_

_"My name is Link, you know."_

_Red eyes crinkled softly in amusement. "So it is, Hero."_

_Link let out a sigh of mock-exasperation, crossing gauntleted arms and regarding the other critically. Sheik ignored him, and finally the blue-clad hero gave up and plunked down in the grass of the small island. "So, I guess there's some new life-threatening danger just waiting for me to charge in face first?" Link rolled out his neck, popping it several times, and Sheik found his gaze caught with the fluidity of such a simple movement. When the hero moved to stretch the sore muscles of his shoulders the Sheikah realized his staring and turned back, considering the question. The white of his cowl caught the moonlight, shielding the chin shifting in thought. The answer was yes, of course there was. Many dangers, in fact. The stars continued to glimmer and wink._

_"Not tonight, I'm afraid."_

_"Oh." A great gaping yawn swallowed the rest of the Hero's sentence. "Guess I'll take a nap, then." He began removing his gloves and equipment, placing the most important within easy reaching distance. He nudged his hat with a finger a few times, and Sheik watched in amusement as a flickering Navi emerged only to float down and curl up on the Hero's chest. When he flopped back on the grass, Link's eyes rested again on the lithe form in the tree. "What song are you playing, Sheik? It's different."_

_Sheik turned his attention back to the lyre and was mildly surprised at the path his fingers had taken. He had not meant to play the tune the strings now hummed, but apparently his thoughts had translated to his hands. "It is called 'The Ballad of the Wind Fish'. A melody passed down by my people from one of our legends." He paused, and then added softly to the night air "It was not the nicest of tales."_

_Link settled farther into the grass, voice fuzzy with promised sleep. "Mm. What happened?"_

_Sheik watched as the Hero's valiant efforts to stay awake faltered, eyelids drifting shut. Beneath the mask, he allowed a soft smile. "Perhaps another time, Hero." He continued to play until the rising and falling of the chest below him slowed before dropping from the tree and stealing away. Of all the songs to play… he shook his head in amused admonishment. He could not afford to slip down such thought trails again. Besides, his back ached from exertion…_

_…but that didn't make sense, he had done nothing to cause his back such pain…_

_"SHEIK!"_

The warrior jerked awake and immediately regretted it as a jolt of pain went straight down his spine. Jaw locking, he turned his head to see Navi frantically waving two inches from his nose.

_"Sheik you have to move, there's wolfos coming!" _

The sudden surge of adrenaline chased drowsiness back as the Sheikah pushed himself upright. Keen red eyes scanned the dark grass of the field before him, finding a pair of the wolf-like creatures ambling casually in his direction. Knives appeared in his hands as he calculated. He would need an opening and the element of surprise to manage both of them. He kept his voice low, "Just the two of them, Navi?" That fairy bobbed once in affirmative. He let out a slow breath, tightening his grip on the blades. "Stay hidden, then."

The wolfos meandered closer, oblivious to the figure blending into the tree line. At ten yards one of them stopped suddenly, sniffing the air, and let out a low growl to the other. Sheik cursed mentally at the shift in wind. It would have to be now.

Reaching up with one hand, he pulled his mask down and let out a sharp, shrieking whistle that resounded several yards higher than his position. One of the shaggy heads went up, revealing a fur-covered neck. The first of Sheik's knives buried itself in its windpipe, dropping the wolfos like a sack of dirt. The opportunity had been used, however, and the other came barreling forward, head down and teeth bared.

At the final yard Sheik ducked and sidestepped, flinging a deku nut to the ground with a flash of light. The beast reared back and howled in its momentary blindness, claws swiping the air around it. Twisting away, the Sheikah sent the second knife straight through the beast's exposed ribs, sinking directly into its beating heart. He watched in satisfaction as the body crumpled to the ground, breath coming in gulping gasps.

This relief was short lived, however, as an ear-splitting howl sounded behind him and a white claw swept through the air, aiming to take off his head.

Instinct took over, sending Sheik into a roll before flipping away. His weight hit his injured ankle, forcing another roll before stopping on one knee several yards off. He pulled his dirks from his boots, glaring death at his attacker. Red eyes locked on red eyes. Sensing injury, the white wolfos charged at his weaker left side, forcing another spin and block with his blades, but not before a searing hot pain raked across a blue-clad shoulder. The familiar feel of warm blood seeped through the Sheikah garb as the beast howled in victorious bloodlust.

The howl, it seemed, was its undoing, as Sheik, abandoning all evasion, simply launched himself onto the distracted beast and plunged both blades in its throat.

Panting, Sheik rolled off of reeking body, taking the blood covered dirks with him. He would have to clean them later, he reflected muzzily. He took a shaky step and immediately went to his knees, feeling a familiar sticky wetness as the opened lacerations on his back mixed blood with the new wound on his right shoulder.

_"Sheik, Hey, Sheik! Come on, stay awake!"_ A blue ball was buzzing by his left ear, quite loudly, in fact. He leveled a gaze at it, trying to muster the words to tell it to be quiet.

_"Sheik, just hold on, I'm gonna go get Link; he'll come help, all right?_"

It was like someone dumped a bucked of cold water on his warm, fuzzy ponderings, and suddenly the feeling of each and every gash, the horrible pounding of his ankle, and the shock that went to his bones came rocketing back. No, Link could not come here. Link could not know he had been hurt, could not find him torn and blood-soaked, could not know why he couldn't defend himself properly, could not…

But Navi had already left, zipped off in an orb of blue light to find the Hero of Time, and he would follow her back… Sheik felt himself breathing harder, faster to the point of hyperventilating. His hands blindly felt beneath his tabard, searching numbly for the pouch beneath the cloth. He felt the deku nut between his fingers, gripping it hard enough to bruise.

Link could never know. Could not know he cared. Illusions aren't supposed to care.

Away…

He let the deku nut drop and watched the world flash. Without a destination, the spell flashed for as far as the magic lasted. His side hit dirt, the front of his body brushing cold stone. A choked whimper crawled from his throat as the Sheikah curled his legs into himself protectively, feeling blackness creep around his mind.

Illusions are not meant to love.


	3. Legend

**Part Three**

**Legend**

_"Hm? What's that?"_

_The resonating notes of the ocarina stilled as Link looked over to the fairy perched on his shoulder. He had been sitting cross-legged in the grass outside of Lon Lon ranch, waiting for Malon to finish checking over Epona to set out again._

_"It's the song Sheik was playing at Lake Hylia." His lips quirked a little at nothing in particular before he glanced back and shrugged his unoccupied shoulder. "I think you were too busy drooling on my tunic to hear."_

_"Hey!" A tiny fist connected with his ear, making no impact whatsoever. "I don't drool! My wings got wet from wading around underwater, is all."_

_A gauntleted hand came up to stroke the Hero's chin in consideration, his eyes sparkling deviously. "But Navi, your wings never got wet the whole time in the water temple…" This time she rammed her whole body into the blond-covered head, making Link recoil with laughter. "Anyway," he added after gaining back his breath, "I like the song. It reminds me of something."_

_"What?" Link only shrugged again, running his thumbs over the smooth clay of the instrument in his hands. Navi put her hands on her hips. "Does it do anything?"_

_"I don't think so." He leaned back against the ranch wall, staring off into the horizon. "I don't think he really meant to teach it to me, either. Just sort of remembered the tune from when he talked about it." Navi watched Link pull off his hat, shaking out his choppy, chin length hair as he folded his arms behind his head._

_"Know what I think?"_

_"Don't need to – you always tell me anyway."_

_"I think you like Sheik." Link suddenly slipped against the stone, forcing him to unfold his arms and flail before he fell over in the dirt. Before the flustered Hero could even start a reply, however, Navi was up and over the wall to the ranch, giggling all the way._

_THUNK._

Something surprisingly hard had collided with Link's head and was now pulling his hair. _"Link, WAKE UP!" _Navi's voice shoved directly into his ear canal had the Hero of Time jolting three feet in the air, coming down with his sword raised before he realized his empty room in Kakariko. Heart beating wildly from this method of awakening, he instinctively grabbed his sword belt and slung it over his tunic even as he looked to the panicking fairy in confusion.

"What's wrong, Navi? Are there monsters in the village?"

_"No, outside in the field – Sheik's hurt!" _For a fraction of a moment, Link's mind froze halfway through putting on his boots. Then, as if to make up for the lapse in time everything suddenly skipped forward, and he was down the stairs and out the door with his equipment in hand before he even thought to move.

"Where?" Oddly, the normal questions, such as 'how' or 'why' seemed utterly irrelevant at that moment. Navi shot away, leaving a faint blue trail in her wake.

"_Not far, this way!" _Abandoning the thought of calling Epona Link took off at a sprint, booted feet flying down the stairs of the village to dig into the grassy field. His mind seemed to place itself in lock down, echoing the two basic thoughts that kept his legs moving fast enough to barely touch ground. _Sheik's hurt; follow Navi. _He took the Zora River at a leap, not even pausing when he landed on the opposite shore with a shallow splash. At a small patch of woodlands Navi came to an abrupt halt, making him skid trenches in the dirt as blue eyes darted over the surroundings.

The corpses of three wolfos lay scattered among the trees, filling the air with the scent of blood. Lungs heaving, Link gazed through the curtain of bangs strewn over his eyes. There was no hint of Sheikah blue or white to be found amongst the battleground. Navi spiraled and bounced over the largest of the three, a white wolfos. "_No! He was right here; he moved!" _Link's head snapped back from his search while his feet carried him to where the light bobbed in agitation.

_"I only left for a minute; he couldn't have gone anywhere unless he used his blinking magic-"_

Next to the fallen beast lay a pair of dirks, ones that Link recognized as usually sticking out of Sheik's boots. He would not have left his weapons uncleaned and abandoned unless forced... or desperate.

_"I mean, the third wolfos just came out of nowhere! It's like they just pop out of the ground or something-"_

He carefully picked the blades up, wiping away the congealing blood in the grass and sliding them in next to his own ankles. "Navi."

She stopped for a long moment, wings fluttering erratically, before flying directly into Link's chest and burying herself in his tunic. The wavering of her voice was clear even muffled by the fabric_. "I'm sorry, I just wanted to help – I shouldn't have told him I was going to get you!"_ Her little hands twisted the green cloth tighter. _"He needed someone but he didn't want you to come and now his back's all ripped up and his shoulder's bleeding and…_" The rest fell to incoherent little noises as the tiny body shook.

Link felt something twinge in the back of his ribcage, something that moved to prickle his lungs. A wounded Sheik, risking his welfare, perhaps his life, all to avoid him. The sensation had followed his lungs up to his throat. Some detached part of him observed Navi getting his tunic wet again. The spot in his chest couldn't seem to decide if it was going to burn or freeze. Would Sheik rather die first –

The word, thought aloud in his head, snapped Link from his mind. He raised a hand, gently covering the fairy clinging to him. "We'll find him, Navi." He lifted her to his shoulder, moving to look through the tree line again.

Whether or not Sheik wanted to see him, Link could not leave his friend alone and injured. Coming to his aid was the only option.

He wondered if he would be able to walk away afterwards, should the Sheikah ask it of him.

"We'll find him, Navi," he repeated softly. "We have to."

His legs were working on automatic, weaving through the undergrowth. A little voice in the back of his mind noted that if Sheik indeed used a deku nut to blink he could have warped anywhere in Hyrule, thus cutting any chance of recovery from slim to none. The rest of his head stomped said voice out in a surprisingly violent fashion.

A glint of gold caught the moonlight filtering through the branches. Curious, Link bent to pick it up and recognized it as the lyre that always seemed to appear from nowhere. A soft vibration ran through the instrument like a heartbeat – the same gentle buzz the Ocarina of Time gave off. The beat held soft power, power that only needed the right notes. He had watched the bandaged fingers glide over the strings enough to understand the basics, enough to mimic the remembered movements. Hesitantly, he plucked out a tune one string at a time. It gave him some small pride that he managed without any mistakes.

_"That's the one you were playing with the other day."_ Navi's soft tone broke his concentration as Link looked down in surprise. He hadn't realized what song it was, although it made as much sense as any other, he supposed. Still, it was rather odd…

Something brushed up against his forearm. Link jerked, eyes snapping downward, only to find his sleeve looking back innocently. He frowned, eyebrows drawing together as he chided himself mentally. He did not have time to lose focus and play musician.

The feeling came again, this time while he was still staring directly at his arm. He froze, mouth opening slightly before closing again. It felt like a touch, someone wrapping their fingers partially around the crook of his elbow. The invisible hand began to pull, just slightly, like a suggestion for a direction, and Link experienced an instant inner battle. Every ounce of reason told him not to follow random ghost hands to unknown destinations. Any experience with Poes or shadow temple creatures could verify that. Something deeper within him, however, instantly trusted this presence to know where to go. Something in the light touch that he had felt before.

Cerulean eyes widened. That he had felt before, resting on top of his chest to keep him in place without forcing him down. Placed across his stomach while a soft tenor drifted to his ears. White cloth wrapping the fingers from view, but somehow still leaving them nimble enough to glide over harp strings. The invisible feeling gave another gentle tug.

"He's this way." Navi was promptly jolted off Link's shoulder to the air when the green-clad hero bolted away across the field.

_"What – HEY!" _The ball of blue light flipped once before righting herself, streaking off to follow.

The feeling continued to steer, seeming to tighten its grip momentarily after a hundred yards or so. Whether it was in reassurance or warning Link could not tell. Then the presence vanished, sending the hero to a hesitant halt as he scanned his surroundings. A section of rocky formations stretched in front of them, casting shadows in the already dark night. "Navi do you-"

_"I see something – over here!" _Blue light swept across the ground, illuminating the carved eye of a gossip stone. And there, partially concealed between the unusual talking rock and the boulders behind it lay a very familiar figure.

"Sheik!" Link took the two final steps on a bound and landed on knees beside the fallen form. Navi hovered above, shining at her brightest. The lithe warrior had curled on his side, revealing stained, tattered fabric normally covering his left shoulder. An angry, open gash wrapped from the top of his collarbone down to the bandaged shoulder blade, sending trails of red seeping into the cloth of his tabard. At the warrior's lack of response Link hesitated, then pulled off a glove with his teeth and slipped his hand under the Sheikah emblem to rest on the warm chest.

The heartbeat came weakly; Link's hand feeling the shallow rise and fall of shuddering breaths. With a whispered curse, he stripped off his other glove and reached behind his shield on his back to find the bottle he needed. Biting and spitting out the cork, he gently peeled the shredded fabric from the shoulder wound, pouring the red potion directly into the gash. The reaction fizzed and spat as if angry at being administered in this fashion when meant to be drunk, but the bleeding ceased, flesh knitting until only a thin red line remained under bruised skin. Sheik did not stir, though his breathing seemed to even out. "Where else?"

_"His back, get his back." _With one hand placed on Sheik's side, Link rolled him a little farther to move away the back section of the torn tabard. The hero's breath came out in a hiss. The bandages that normally wrapped the Sheikah's torso were drenched, to the point of appearing naturally dyed red. Carefully he traced his fingers along the wettest patches, feeling half a dozen or so deep slices in the taunt muscles. He reached back to search for another potion when Navi let out a sudden exclamation. _"Oh," _Link paused, looking up to where the fairy gazed at the wounds. _"Potions won't work; he said so. We need a fairy, Link."_

"What?" Link pushed his confusion out of the way, simply accepting the information as he stared at the blue orb in anxiety. "But I used the last one, I-" He stopped, staring at the eye of the gossip stone next to him. "Hang on." It was a trick he had only tried once, when experimenting with the different functions of the four outside of the Temple of time.

Pulling the ocarina out of his tunic, he played the six notes that formed Zelda's lullaby. The carved tear beneath the eye glowed momentarily at the end of the song, and a moment later a small pink fairy appeared, sitting on the top of the stone. She looked at Link and blinked, apparently puzzled at his lack of injury. Link moved a little to the side, making Sheik more visible. "Not me, him." The fairy nodded and flew off the stone, spiraling around the collapsed form until eventually disappearing. Beneath Link's fingers he felt the lacerations shift and close. He started to let out a sigh, but stopped when he heard a soft groan.

"Sheik? Hey, Sheik?" Navi floated closer as Link knelt on the other side, watching the covered face carefully. Sheik's eyebrows drew together in a wince, cowl moving in a way that suggested a gritted jaw as he drew his arms into himself protectively. Link looked around the surrounding area for a moment, mind reconnecting with the outside world now the immediate danger had passed. "Navi." Wings flicked once, signaling she was listening. "Will you go to Lon Lon and see if Malon can free up the guest room? It's closest." Navi bobbed in understanding and flew off.

Link turned back to the pained face, speaking softly. "Sheik, c'mon, you have to wake up, you can't sleep yet..." Despite the relief of healing the major wounds, he couldn't risk letting Sheik stay unconscious until he was certain it was safe. He placed a hand on his side and shook gently. Sheik's bangs moved over his eyes, and without thought he reached out to brush the strands away, tucking them back. The back of his hand brushed Sheik's forehead: too hot for laying out in the cold. The exposure had most likely caused a fever. Bleary glimmers of crimson cracked open and fixed on him, glinting in the moonlight and causing Link's breath to catch despite himself. He managed a soft "Hey."

"Hero..." The voice was low, confused, and laced with pain and weariness, but somehow still the nicest sound to hit Link's ears in a long time. It was then he realized he was still rubbing small circles across Sheik's cheekbone with his thumb. He pulled his hand back subtly, opting instead to find his ocarina again.

"We've got to get you to Lon Lon, Sheik, just hang in there, okay?" He played for Epona, thankful at the answering whinny that she always seemed to stay nearby. The mare crested a nearby hill on a trot, shaking her mane in greeting. Link smiled gratefully at her, and then turned back to Sheik to find his eyes closed again. "Sheik?" Even a fairy could not fight the amount of exhaustion and blood loss amounted, it seemed. Link swore softly, turning to Epona. "Sorry girl, can you handle both of us?"

Epona snorted as if insulted, and did something Link had never seen before. Carefully, she bent her front legs, then her back, ending on her knees in the grass in front of him. She tilted her head back at him, and Link could practically hear the unspoken 'Well, are you getting on or not?' He couldn't help the smirk that pulled at his lips. "Right. Sorry I doubted you." He looked back down, considering how best to move the injured Sheikah.

Stepping over him again, Link carefully slid his hand under Sheik's uninjured shoulder, rolling him backwards into a half-sitting position. He lifted the other's right arm, wrapping it around his neck. Sheik let out a hiss of protest at the strain. "I know, I know, I'm sorry. Stay awake, though." Reaching down, he coaxed the other's legs to uncurl and ran his other arm under the crook of his knees. Shifting slightly to make sure he had a good hold on the weight, he whispered a warning and stood, Sheik's body held against his chest. Sheik tensed, his eyes opening at the sudden move and pull at his wounds. Link looked down and smiled in what he hoped was an encouraging gesture. Despite being the same height as Link, Sheik was surprisingly light, and, he noted absently, a fairly comfortable burden. Sheik blinked at him blearily. "What..."

"Sorry, but you have to ride sidesaddle so I don't press against your back." Sheik stared blankly at some invisible spot, apparently finding great difficulty pondering this answer.

"...Oh." Red eyes blinked slowly as Link stepped over to the less-than-patiently waiting Epona and swung his leg in the saddle. He rested Sheik partially in front of him, opting to not let go so as to lessen the shock of the ride. Epona stood and nickered, waiting.

"Lon Lon, Epona. Malon's place." The mare shook her mane and moved off, slowed slightly by the added weight. Sheik's head lolled and dropped into the crook of Link's neck. It amazed the hero how quickly he could register the warmth of the weight, the soft brush of steady breath beneath cloth, and the faint scent of cinnamon and ashes before he realized Sheik had once again fallen unconscious. His cheeks tingled faintly. "Sheik, Hey." He gave the other a gentle shake, realizing he could feel the tremor through both bodies from the long, muscled side pressed against him. He swallowed, casting about for something to both distract himself from the contact and keep Sheik awake. "What..." A stray thought came into his head, and he quickly snagged it. "What is the story of the Wind Fish?"

Sheik hummed and pulled back slightly, eyebrows pulled in a frown. His voice came softly, mumbling more to the air than anything. "Not a nice story."

"But you said you'd tell, Sheik," Link coaxed. "What happened?"

Sheik nodded at nothing, turning his head away, eyes still closed. His free arm came up weakly, pulling up the white cowl just a little higher. Link was about to try again when he began to speak, pausing often and occasionally stumbling over his words, but speaking none the less.

"The legend... there was a hero, long ago, who fell into a great storm at sea..." He sighed tiredly. "He woke up on an island... plagued with monsters. He attempted to defeat them, but they always came back. Again and again." A weak chuckle. "He learned, the only end to the beasts was to find the eight sacred instruments and play the song."

He stopped, apparently losing his thought path. "The Ballad of the Wind Fish?" Link prompted softly.

Sheik nodded, the sliver of visible eyes glinting in the starlight. "The Wind Fish slept; it had always slept. But in order to save the people of the island that had saved him – that he learned to care for, he needed to play - wake the dreamer.

"He found them, all eight, with help from the people of the island, and defeated the final creature holding the Wind Fish prisoner. But... the song did not work that way."

Another long pause. "Why, what was wrong?"

"'Awake the dreamer...'" Sheik's eyebrows creased in concentration. "'Awake the dreamer, and all will vanish, much like a bubble on a needle.' (1)" He blinked from his recitation. "The monsters vanished, but so did the people, trees, the sand, the sky. The entire island was illusion...fabrication. The hero awoke again at sea, as if he had dropped asleep. But he could still hear the voice of the one who first saved him." Sheik swallowed, sinking farther against Link's arm. "He could hear her singing, but she never came back." He dropped to a mumble. "Not real..."

"What do you mean?" Link could see the walls of Lon Lon approaching as Epona's hooves cantered softly in the grass. Sheik cracked one eye slightly, his voice drifting like lost smoke on the wind.

"It had to be that way – or the evil would have won. I wonder if she knew; if she knew she was only a dream of the Wind Fish, if she would have let him so close. If she only knew, she could have stopped him from seeing her, from caring. It isn't fair you know, to let him attach to something not real. Something that vanishes, with nothing to stop it."

Link blinked and raised an eyebrow at the sudden change of tense. Sheik paid no attention, simply talking at something unseen. "Stay hidden; a shadow, give enough to aid but not to start more. Just watch at a distance, and he won't be hurt." The Sheikah swallowed heavily. "I couldn't bear that, knowing leaving would hurt him. I tried – I just couldn't watch him struggle..."

His face softened, his last words come out on a murmur as his head drifted again to Link's shoulder. "His eyes light up like the morning sky when he smiles."

The breathing behind the cowl came slow and easy, and Link found he couldn't wake him again. He simply stared, mouth open slightly, at the Sheikah sleeping against him. _Sheik..._

Epona had made it through the gates of Lon Lon, held open by Malon. Gently he slid off with Sheik still in his arms and was ushered inside and upstairs where clean dressings and supplies lay waiting. It seemed Malon knew him far too well. He cleaned and bandaged Sheik's wounds with practiced care, although he could not help when his gaze lingered on the revealed expanse of back and chest while he ran the damp rag over the bruised, mottled skin. Under Navi's advice he also rewrapped an old injury to Sheik's ankle, concealed beneath the thick boots.

As Link rose from his work and stretched his back he gave a long look at the small section of tanned face he could see above the mask. He brushed the blond locks away from the sleeping eyes, noting the other still seemed slightly feverish, but not enough to cause alarm. He frowned, something unnoticed before clicking into place. "Navi?" The little fairy, who had been previously hovering silently at Link's shoulder, turned. Link looked back down at Sheik's wrapped back, one only fairies would heal. "Sheik was in the Shadow Temple, wasn't he?"

Navi visibly wilted, looking to the side. _"I promised not to tell."_

Link nodded, lips curving upward slightly. "That's okay. You should get some sleep, okay?" With one last look at the prone form on the bed he turned to take his own advice. The sun was starting to rise over the hills of Hyrule.

He had wondered before if he could leave should Sheik ask him. Now he wasn't entirely sure he could.

(1) Quote from LoZ: Link's Awakening.


	4. Plea

**Part Four**

**Plea**

_To call a battle with a Deadhand unpleasant would be like calling Death Crater a tad warm, Sheik decided wryly. Gripped from behind by a clammy hand he watched the grotesquely elongated neck bend, bringing the grinning face down to eye level. With a final effort he ripped away and sidestepped the bite aimed at his jugular, hearing the fabric on his back tear in response. Taking advantage of the lowered head, he yanked his hand up and thrust a dirk straight through the top of the creature's disturbingly soft skull, using the downward momentum to bring the blade out the bottom jaw and pin the entire thing into the dirt. The undead twitched for several minutes before finally stilling and returning to ash. Retrieving his weapon, Sheik suppressed a shudder and turned to the door._

_"Sheik." At the crisp, commanding tone he immediately spun back, dropping his stance into a full formal bow. He did not need to see the figure in the center of the dim room; there was only one person who could sneak up on him in such a situation. He sometimes wished she would do it a little less; it would be better for his nervous system._

_"Lady Impa." The sage made a miniscule motion of dismissal, waiting for Sheik to straighten before fixing him with a stony gaze._

_"You are aware of my position as the Sage of the Shadow Temple." The elder Sheikah spoke levelly, arms crossed against her powerful figure. Not waiting for a reply, she continued. "I will retire from this plane, so as to directly combat the tainted flow coming from these grounds. As always, however this is a temporary solution."_

_Sheik gave a curt nod. "I have complete faith in the Hero's abilities to defeat the host." His voice held a subtle strength with the conviction of the statement._

_One of Impa's eyebrows twitched, the rest of her face remaining impassive. "And your reason for entering beforehand… your faith?"_

_It took a great deal of willpower not to cringe. Even under the cowl, he knew his superior would see it. "My reasons do not include doubt. Time presses forward; it is logical to rid the path of monsters that serve little purpose other than distraction."_

_"You are injured." Almost instantly Sheik became aware of a painful, warm sensation on his back. It seemed not only cloth had torn, then. He pondered briefly if he would have noticed had Impa failed to mention it before stubbornly pushing the new discomfort back to the numbness it came from._

_"My welfare is unimportant in comparison." He dropped his gaze, looking off to the side at a stray memory. Impa watched unblinkingly; head tilting as she considered the Sheikah before her. After a long minute, she let out a barely audible sigh._

_"I offer my apologies." Startled red eyes snapped back around, watching her in dumbfounded disbelief. "We were unaware." Impa dropped her arms to hang loosely to her sides. Small flickers of purple light blinked around the Sage as she slowly dissipated. Sheik continued to watch, mouth open slightly._

_"Lady Impa; my purpose has always been clear and necessary. We do not regret what must be done."_

_"Truth." Her final words carried after her form vanished from view. "We made what must be."_

_"…but we did not know you would have a soul."_

X

His first aware thought was of the warm, comfortable mattress; the one the muscles of his abdomen had apparently melted into. This may have been a pleasant sensation, were it not eclipsed by the definite knowledge that he had dropped unconscious on some combination of dirt and stone. Instinctively wary, Sheik remained just as he was, waiting for his senses to clear before stirring. The faint sound of clucking cuckoos reached him along with the distinct smell of ranch and horses. Sheik let out a slightly relieved sigh and allowed his eyes to open; there was little reason to be on guard at Lon Lon.

Allowing himself to adjust to the light peeking through the closed curtains, he slowly eased off his stomach to a sitting position. It hurt a great deal less than expected, and at the sudden, unfamiliar draft on his arms he discovered why. The top half of his uniform had disappeared, leaving only fresh bandages covering his torso and shoulder. After a quick check he noted his boots missing as well, although whoever cleaned him up thankfully left his pants on. Surprisingly, the cowl and wraps still covered his face; the former he pulled up higher out of habit. After some small frustration attempting to remove the rock fragments and grit from his head wraps, he relented and unwound his hair, dropping the long strip of cloth beside him on the bed. Freed from their clutches the locks immediately sprang into unruly spikes, but it was worth it to shake out the dirt pestering his scalp. Running one hand through the mussed blond, he suppressed a lazy yawn.

The shift of covers and a heavy exhale brought Sheik back to the room, freezing every muscle while his newly adjusted eyes settled on another bed a few yards away. A figure-sized lump under the blanket rolled over towards the wall, an assortment of items littering the nearby floor. Shield, pack, boots, gauntlets, and a very familiar looking green hat covering the hilt of a sword. Sheik promptly forgot how to breathe, although his mouth formed several surprisingly colorful curses. _Link._

So the hero had found him; that would explain the skillful treatment his injuries received. One question answered, Sheik began the delicate process of having a silent outbreak of panic. Should Link awaken, he would ask some explanation for the injuries – one Sheik could not truthfully give. It would mean too much to say, even more for the other to hear.

But it was possible Link had just saved his life, and he wasn't sure he could simply slip away. He owed more than that. The hero stirred again, mumbling soft nonsense.

That, Sheik added, and he had no idea where his clothing and equipment had moved to, and walking barefoot and half dressed through Hyrule did not seem wise.

When Link flipped yet again Sheik felt his eyebrows draw into a frown. From the hero's new position an amount of light hit his face, revealing the pained expression that looked incredibly out of place on one usually so optimistic. The Sheikah winced in response – he knew a thing or two about nightmares, and considering everything Link had seen the imagination would not need to stretch far.

Silently, he swung his legs out of bed and settled on the cool wooden floor, using both hands to push himself off the covers. The room lurched and rippled at the movement, but he gritted his teeth and kept the backs of his legs pressed against the side of the mattress until he was sure his center of gravity would hold. Not quite adept at walking yet, he slid his feet across the boards in a slow shuffle, making his way to the opposite bed. After a minute or two of eternity he managed, easing himself down on the edge and watching the closed eyes flit around at unseen enemies. He reached over and rested a hand on the blanketed chest, applying just enough pressure to add warmth and weight to each breath. Noting the state of the bedspread, he freed the other's legs from the twisted snares of cloth folds, spreading it back to cover his feet.

After a minute or two Link's breathing began to even out, phantoms dissipating from the sleeping face. A small spot of diluted red trailed from the corner of his mouth - most likely from a bitten tongue. Sheik hesitated a moment, then reached up with his thumb to clean the blood off. His fingers brushed smooth skin in the process, sending a shiver through the tips. Link's lips parted slightly under the caress, and Sheik found himself entranced by their fullness. He had almost gone back to touch them again when he realized himself, face tingling. The hero was fine now; he should escape this situation before he did anything regretful. Carefully he stood, finally removing his hand from the sleeping chest and turning back to look for his things –

- And suddenly finding himself reclaimed by something with a very strong grip. Startled, he looked back in time to see Link roll in his sleep, taking the imprisoned arm with him and nearly sending the Sheikah sprawling across the bed. Biting back a cry of both surprise at finding his arm stolen for a comfort object and muted pain at the pull in his back Sheik simply stared, flabbergasted, at the peacefully asleep eyelids now a good deal closer. Without the blue fabric of his sleeves he could feel the warmth of the other's arms against his skin, only separated by Link's tunic and thin white undershirt. Cheeks heating up, he attempted to ease out of the accidental embrace. Link only cuddled the captured limb closer to his chest, sighing contentedly.

_"Oh whoops, he got you, huh?" _At the familiar voice Sheik's head whipped around, finding Navi drifting slowly from Link's hat to perch on his bare shoulder. She rubbed her eyes, wings flickering with a dim glow. _"That's why I don't sleep within reach anymore." _The fairy spoke softly, settling close to Sheik's ear._ "He's always like that after a nightmare; just grabs on and curls up." _She paused, then blinked and looked over accusingly_. " Hey wait, you're not supposed to be walking yet and… wow, your hair looks different all out of that head thing, maybe you should - " _Sheik sent her a look from the corner of his eye_. "Oh, right, freedom first - chat later, sorry. Just pull back when he lets go."_

Navi jumped easily from her perch, floating over to hover directly above Link's pointed ear. Flying just close enough, she beat her wings rapidly, skimming with every pass. After a few seconds Link let out a noise of complaint, releasing his grip to swat haphazardly at the annoyance now safely out of reach. Navi giggled softly, both at the trick and the Sheikah examining his freed arm like he expected pieces to be missing. She flew back over when he slid back a small ways, within safe whispering distance. "This happens often?" Determining his arm unbruised, his red eyes rested back on the figure in the bed.

Navi shrugged, although her wings drooped slightly. _"He's getting better now; when he was a kid he used to yell and thrash and fight until I could wake him up."_ She hovered close enough for Sheik to hear her sigh. _"At least now he sleeps through. Oh, Um…" _Sheik looked back over to where the tiny figure now fidgeted in the air._ "We got your harp thing, and those really long knives you used." _She pointed at a dresser near the door, eyes fixed determinedly on the floor. _"I'm… I'm sorry I made you try to get away – I just knew Link would know how to help – um, I'll go ask Malon about your clothes, okay?" _She left no room for reply, zipping out of the room via the slightly ajar door. Sheik watched the deserted space for several seconds before dropping his head and closing his eyes.

"It's not your fault." he muttered dejectedly. "I should have seen this long ago."

The floor had begun its tilting sway again as he moved over to the dresser Navi indicated. He caught sight of his lyre on the other side just as the rock turned into a full on lurch, sending him banging against the sturdy wood with a frustrated hiss. The noise, apparently, was enough, as a familiar, sleepy voice sounded from the other side of the room.

"Sheik?" A scant few milliseconds and a much more alert-sounding hero had reached his side. "Hey, you shouldn't be moving around." A warm hand rested on his bare shoulder as concerned blue eyes locked on his own. Some little voice in Sheik's head commented that Link should really go hatless more often, as the blond hair fanning gently around the hero's face made for a very appealing picture. But of course, that would get into his eyes while fighting, he supposed. It was then he realized that instead of replying he had simply been staring at the other like a hungry child in a shop window. He swallowed quickly, pushing away from the dresser to stand.

"It is fine, Hero. I do not wish to be a burden longer than necessary." The statement lost its credibility when he swayed slightly. Link, catching this, stepped to his side and wrapped his arm low around the tan waist, supporting the other's weight without disturbing the bandages.

"People who are fine can usually stand, Sheik." Sheik flushed, both from the amused jab and the hand against his bare stomach muscles. Link appeared to notice as well, softly clearing his throat before beginning to lead the way back through the room, his tone purposefully light. "Anyway, Malon's used to me showing up in pieces by now; it's probably nice having someone else to take care of for once." Sheik sat back on the bed gratefully, drawing up a knee and resting his arm on it while leaving his other foot to dangle off the side. He could still feel a tingling sensation where Link released him, but this was quickly eclipsed when his bangs were brushed aside and the soft skin of a wrist pressed against his forehead. His eyes widened in slight shock, the faint scent of earthy spices brushing his senses at the close contact. "You're still pretty warm," Link murmured, brows coming together in concern, "do you feel feverish at all?"

Sheik was finding it increasingly difficult to concentrate on the conversation, dropping his eyes from the hero hovering over him in an attempt to rein his thoughts back to some familiar path. "My welfare is unimportant," he repeated his own words on automatic, using the innate arguments of duty to snap himself from the spell. Link pulled his hand away, stepping back a pace. Sheik continued, reclaiming his familiar, detached tone. "I have wasted the precious little time you have on your mission with my own petty concerns; for this I apologize. Please, do not bother yourself with me." He refrained from pulling up his cowl, preserving his appearance of stoicism, and glanced up to gauge the response.

Link was simply watching him, face shadowed in the dim room. It appeared the Hero was attempting to decide something, his eyes locked on the patch of viewable face Sheik's cowl and bangs did not cover. "You shouldn't think of yourself that way, you know." The softness of his voice alone carried sincerity - as if the words were too valuable to be spoken at any higher volume. He walked over and sat on the other end of the bed, far enough to keep a comfortable distance, and mimicked Sheik's sitting position. "You were practically dying, Sheik. Nobody can call their life petty, and I don't consider helping a bother. Hell, I've probably spent a week hunting Poes if you put it together; patching up a friend seems like better time management to me." He shrugged, offering a small smile before glancing at his feet. "…Hey, Sheik?"

The Sheikah pulled himself from his warring emotions, clinging to the part of his mind that kept his face impassive. "Yes?"

"How'd you know I was afraid of the Shadow Temple?" At the shocked, cornered look sent back his way Link smiled again, a hint of playful triumph sparkling at his eyes. He waved a hand at the other's back. "Only one kind of monster does damage only fairies can heal. I was pretty surprised when I didn't find any after the one in the well, but when all the traps were broken, I started wondering." He shrugged nonchalantly. "Every torch in the place was lit, too. Almost made it look cheerful."

Sheik fidgeted, playing with a wrap on his hand. Perhaps he had gone a bit overboard. "It was not my intention to discredit my belief in your competence – I am certain you would have completed the task without any interference."

At the response Link practically beamed. "That's why it matters." He stood from the bed, stretching. "Come on, I'll let you argue with me about leaving after you sleep some more." Sheik blinked, realizing for the first time that he was in fact on Link's bed, not his own, and quickly pushed to his feet. The move stretched his back uncomfortably, and he staggered, cursing the sudden swimming feeling in his head. Strong hands gripped his good arm and waist, supporting him before he fell. "Hey careful - you've lost a lot of blood. You okay?"

He nodded, leaning a little farther into Link's chest until the room stopped moving. Link obligingly stepped closer, allowing Sheik's head to rest on his shoulder and carefully circling his arm around the other's back. The floor continued to rock, and Sheik sagged more into the stabilizing embrace, weakly clutching at the green tunic. A deep, soft chuckle vibrated through them both. "Change your mind about being fine yet?"

This closeness was wrong, Sheik knew. It was unfair, to the both of them, and would only end in pain. He needed to stop, to leave, to somehow push away.

But, he thought as Link's hand released his arm and hesitantly rested on the top of his head, it felt so wonderful to feel him breathe…

"Hey Sheik?" The hand had begun weaving soothing patterns through his hair when Link's voice came beside his ear, low and careful in its seriousness. Link nudged softly at the exposed temple with his forehead. "Thank you."

By the gods, he was going to hurt the only thing he cared about – and he couldn't bear to stop himself.

Ignoring the physical discomfort, Sheik wrapped his own arms around the warm chest and pressed his face farther into the other's collarbone. A single, soundless sob shook him. "I'm sorry Link – I'm so sorry."

He vaguely heard a question of surprise, a slight jolt of confusion, but the fingers' soothing caress on his scalp had already worked its magic, guiding him gently into familiar unconsciousness.

_Can forgiveness be given to a fabricated soul?_


	5. Interlude

**Part Five**

**Interlude**

_There was a fresh grave in the yard – one in a line of many, and yet certainly not the last to arrive. Years of Ganondorf's reign had eventually slowed the deaths, but not from any outward improvement. The people had simply grown harder, reset their values. It was a population of survivors now, of steeled eyes and set jaws. And yet the new graves came, and Sheik would watch those eyes steel until it ran the whole way through._

_Yes, they had survived. But hope had been buried next to the souls of the lost._

_Silently, Sheik walked up to the loose mound of earth, marked only by a flat stone at the head. Perhaps a name would be carved later, perhaps there were none that knew it. The sky rumbled softly as the Sheikah stood at the foot of the grave, and he glanced at the dark gray clouds in question. A damp wind whistled across the grass in response – the rain would not hold off much longer._

_"How strange."_

_Sheik refrained from starting at the soft, mellow voice and spared a glance to his left. A woman stood barely three paces away, dressed in a simple white sundress that billowed in the breeze. He blinked, caught off guard at how someone had managed to get so close without his notice, but the woman paid no mind. She seemed content to stand, hands folded behind her back, and gaze upon the grave with a serene sort of expression. She had a pleasant face, one that wore the look well, with a smattering of freckles to match the auburn tresses raging down her back. Everything about her was completely out of place in this graveyard, and yet something about her simply belonged, as if she could melt into the background. Remembering himself, Sheik turned back to the grave before speaking. "What is strange, my lady?"_

_"Memories are strange, Sir Sheikah." Sheik glanced back over, one eyebrow raised. Although a respectful form of address, he had never been referred to in this way. The woman was looking at him, a hint of a smile at the corners of her mouth._

_"I fear I do not understand."_

_"Will you play a song on your lyre?" She raised a hand, indicating the marker. Sheik's other eyebrow joined its twin. The demeanor this person emitted did not match that of a mourner. Still, it would be impolite to refuse such a simple request. With a mental shrug, he reached behind his tabard._

_"What song, my lady?"_

_"Something," she paused, sparing a look at the overcast sky. "To welcome a brighter day, I think." Sheik nodded, shifting his lyre to his left arm and considering. As the soft notes floated across the yard the woman closed her eyes and hummed along wordlessly, her voice blending with the harp strings seamlessly and lifting the simple melody to a level the warrior had never witnessed._

_Singing fully, he noted despite himself, her voice could be the stuff of legends._

_After a minute, she lifted her head and scanned the whole of the yard. "This place is full of memory, both happy and sad times past that will not come again. When the people visit they speak of the times of joy, but cry while they do so. The greater the happiness, the more profound the loss. And yet," The woman smiled again, although it seemed sadder than before. "Not a single one would give up what they had before to save themselves the pain of after. The living cling to the past even when it cuts them. It is… strange."_

_Red eyes calculated for a long moment. "Do you remember as well?"_

_Freckled shoulders shrugged. "Perhaps. Ask me again when we meet properly, and we'll find out. I am sorry I couldn't sing for you."_

_Out of sheer confusion Sheik's fingers stopped playing across the strings of his lyre. The woman covered her mouth with one hand and muffled what sounded suspiciously like a giggle. With her other arm she made a shooing motion. "Go on, they're worried about you."_

_Who could possibly be worried? Few enough people even knew who he was, save perhaps Impa, but he hadn't seen her since the shadow temple when they spoke of –_

_Link._

_The graveyard faded quickly, making way for the feel of clean blankets and the crisp smell of a clear, bright day._

Sheik woke once again on his stomach, a sense of deja-vu washing over him at the predicament. He somewhat sourly wondered if he would ever fall asleep normally or simply drop unconscious at random intervals for the rest of his days. Cracking an eye open, he surveyed the room, finding it empty of other life. Permitting himself a soft sigh, of relief or regret he did not know, he sat up, blankets pooling at his hips. His bandages had not been changed, he observed as he ran a hand across the white binds around his chest, meaning he had most likely only slept a few hours, long enough to change morning to afternoon.

A basin of fresh water sat at the foot of his bed, along with a bundle of cloth. Pulling the blankets aside, Sheik stood, satisfied when the movement only prompted a brief surge of lightheadedness. That could easily be accredited to malnourishment, an easy solution. Sitting gingerly down by the tub, he picked up a rag draped over the side and dipped it in the water. Red eyes briefly flickered to the closed door and curtained window before he reached up, sliding his cowl up and over his head and placing it to the side. A spot of blood had stained the bottom of the white cloth. He glowered at the imperfection, but he could not spend time cleaning it at the moment. Bending over the basin, he considered, his reflection blinking at him, before he plunged his entire head into the water. Pulling back, he gasped a little, then rubbed the cloth over his face, scrubbing furiously at his dripping hair with his fingers before dunking back in to rinse. Once satisfied with that, he couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped him as he slicked his sopping blond bangs off his face. That felt better. Dousing the rag again, he began more subdued cleaning for the rest of his exposed skin, his mind wandering.

The events of a few hours ago flocked by his head with grim sincerity. He had said too much, but these things could not be taken back. He had inevitably made things worse, and caused more questions to be raised. But, something in him felt a tiny bit lighter at having finally apologized, even if Link did not know what it was for. His mind said leave, his instinct stay, and his heart...

...Well, it was not as if that one mattered anyway.

But the fact remained that the Sheikah warrior, for once in his life, was without a certain direction. So he washed, slowly and meticulously, until he was satisfied that he no longer smelled like graves, wolfos and blood. Turning away from the dirtied water, he unfolded the cloth bundle, which turned out to be a simple, but clean and untorn shirt, along with a pair of close-cut pants. The deliverer, Malon most likely, had also been thoughtful enough to find clothing in nearly the same blues as his uniform. With a mental note to hide extra rupees in with the milk money as soon as he was able, Sheik donned the new outfit, fidgeting at the baggy feel of the shirt, but grateful to be covered once more. Replacing his cowl and re-winding his untamable hair, he couldn't help but feel a little more himself again. At the thought, he snorted aloud and walked over to retrieve his boots. He heard the light footsteps down the hallway and saw the combination of added shadow and blue light before the knock on the door sounded.

"Sheik? Are you awake?" The feminine alto drifted under the wood, a soft drawl hinting in the tone. Sliding his dirks in place quickly, Sheik walked to the door and opened it, nodding respectfully to the fair, slender redhead on the other side. In her hands was a tray practically overflowing with food, steaming eggs cooked in several different styles, what looked like both hot and cold meat dishes, fresh bread, milk, and a glass of something that suspiciously looked like red potion. Sheik stared for a moment, suddenly aware that he had not eaten in over a day, before remembering himself and stepping aside to admit the other into the room. An orb of light bounced in the air above the tray.

_"Hey! We figured that you hadn't eaten in a while but when we thought about it neither me or Malon knew what you liked so we just made everything we could think of at the time - oh, you got dressed, that's good, are you still dizzy, Link said something about blood loss and I KNEW you weren't supposed to be moving yet-"_

"Navi, he probably only woke up." Malon smiled ruefully at the fairy and set the tray on the dresser before turning and giving Sheik an once-over. Her eyes swept up and down, a hand planted on her hip and her lips pursing critically. "Really, the least the two of you could do is eat properly, you're nearly falling out of your clothes."

There was a silence for several seconds, in which red eyes blinked several times before finally softening. Sheik offered a shrug that managed to suggest a formal bow. "Apologies, Miss Malon, I will put my best effort into correcting the situation." Despite having only met her twice to purchase supplies, Malon still treated the Sheikah warrior like a particularly rambunctious younger brother, and after proving herself utterly immune to his cold behavior he had given up trying to stop it. It was just her nature to treat everyone as family, just as it was his to remain formal.

The redhead surveyed him for several more seconds like a statue in farm skirts before breaking into a smile. "Well, you can start now, then. I admit, it's much nicer seeing you up and around than the horse fodder you came in as."

Sheik held in a wince at the reminder. "I have been an inconvenience to you and your ranch, I am sorry." He dipped his head in a sincere gesture of apology. "If there is anything that may be-"

"Oh, don't bother; you'll hurt your neck." Malon flapped a hand dismissively, rolling her eyes. "Like I'd take money from either of you. And-" Sheik suddenly found himself on the receiving end of a severe point, "If I find any extra rupees in the milk till, I'll skin both your hides." Navi flickered, a suppressed little snicker escaping despite her efforts to contain it.

Years of grueling training, conditioning, and combat had taught Sheik to know a losing battle when he saw one. "Yes, Miss Malon."

Dropping her intimidating stance, Malon gave a cursory look around the room and nodded. "All right, well make sure you at least drink the potion, I have to finish putting up the vaults before supper." She walked to the door and stopped, placing one hand on the frame as she looked at something invisible in the hallway. "Link's out in the barn, got talked into working while he was here. I'm going to go tell him you're awake when I walk over there." She turned a little to the side and glanced at him. "Of course, my leg has been acting up since yesterday, so I'll have to go slow. And maybe stop to rest a few times." With a final, meaningful look, she exited the room. From his spot rooted to the floorboards, Sheik couldn't help but notice there was nothing irregular in the steps as the skirts swished down the stairs.

_"She doesn't want you to go, but she said it was your decision. Then she muttered around about stubborn men and recluses for a while, and I kinda felt sorry for the bread dough she was beating." _Sheik's motor skills finally unstuck enough to take the two paces to the dresser, Navi hovering over the tray. Not quite able to look the fairy in the eye, he instead tried to glower the glass of red potion out of his sight.

"…We all have to leave eventually, Navi." After deciding the glass was not going to disappear he sighed and picked it up, giving Navi a pointed look. She huffed and turned around, her wings flickering.

_"Yeah, but you don't leave, you just… vanish. You know, deku nuts?"_

Taking a breath, Sheik closed his eyes and yanked his mask down, drinking the entire potion in one gulp. Grimacing, he replaced the cloth over his mouth and tried to ignore the feeling of sludge dripping through his system. He probably had thirty seconds total, ten to make a decision. Not enough. He sighed and reached down, lifting his lyre off the floor. "Words don't change what has to happen."

Navi turned in the air in time to see Sheik shift the instrument, preparing to play. _"I don't see what's so hard about a simple goodbye. And if you leave all this food Malon'll make Link eat it."_

It was probably not the best sign that he could follow Navi's jumping thought patterns so easily, Sheik mused. He reached out and shifted the tray so a corner touched his hip, then closed his eyes and listened to the soft hum vibrating through the harp strings. There was one melody he had yet to teach, one that couldn't be followed.

As the warp song carried him off, his senses took note of several things at once, stacking them away in his mind. One was the heavy bootfalls thundering up the stairs as the room dissipated, along with a loud exclamation from Navi. The last was something subtle nagging at the corner of his mind as he played, something in the power of the harp that seemed…off. He couldn't concentrate on it long, however, as the world made way for scalding heat and an endless plane of sand.


	6. Overture

**Part Six**

**Overture**

Outside of the Gerudo desert, Sheik considered himself more or less immune to the effects of his cowl. Besides the occasional nuisance of taking it down to eat or drink, it fit around his face like a second skin - forgotten in plain sight. Only in a land of blistering sun and wind did he understand how so much attention could be paid to a simple piece of cloth.

Sheik flinched, eyes closing instinctively as the light glared off the white fabric beneath his nose, and forced himself to take deep, regular breaths. The temperature change made the air feel thicker, and only by several severe mental reprimands could he convince his body that it was not suffocating. A breeze shifted his bangs, and he sighed, grateful of at least having protection against the blowing sands.

Then again... Finally opening his eyes, Sheik fought the urge to roll them. There, sitting innocently next to his foot on the warp pad, was the tray laden with food from Lon Lon Ranch. He stared down at it, almost daring it to move before sighing and shaking his head. Well, it was here now; it might as well not go to waste. He reached back, intending on tucking his lyre behind his tabard only to gain a reminder he currently had no tabard, no uniform, no wraps. He wondered for a moment how it was possible to be fully clothed and feel naked at the same time. Fortunately, he did not get to dwell on the thought very long.

_"HEY! What song was that, I never heard it before, does that make this the last temple, wow it's really_ _hot here-"_

Sheik corrected himself. There was, in fact, another being besides Impa who could sneak up on him enough to fray every nerve in his body. Almost in disbelief he watched the little orb bob around the warp pad, observing everything from the color of the sky to what Malon ate yesterday for breakfast. "...Navi?"

_"Well yeah, who did you think it was?"_ Finished flying in circles, Navi folded her legs in a sitting position and hovered at eye level, looking somewhat smug.

"Why did you follow me?"

_"Well I didn't exactly mean to, I was sitting on the tray when you warped. I didn't know you'd actually_ _take it with you, kinda nice though, I mean Link already had to eat enough to feed-"_

"Navi." Sheik reached up and pulled his cowl higher, attempting to process this new information. "You cannot stay here, you're needed with the Hero."

_"Yeah, cause I'm sure it's me he'll be worried about."_ As soon as the words escaped her Navi slapped a tiny hand across her mouth, her blue light flickering almost purple. Sheik blinked and forcibly shoved anything that the phrase might mean into the deepest recesses of his mind, hoping it would never resurface. The recesses were getting a lot of use as of late, it seemed. Composing herself, Navi removed her hand. _"I, uh, meant that, I don't know how to get back from here, and if he's worried, you know, about me, he'll probably have left Lon Lon by the time I get there anyway, so if we don't want him to worry about me I need a quicker mode of transportation that counters worry. About me. That's what I meant."_ She nodded resolutely, crossing her arms over her chest and hovering a bit higher, as if to confirm the statement through her own force of will.

Sheik raised an eyebrow, but was forced to admit that somewhere in the ramble was a valid point. Even if they warped to the Temple of Time, the closest location, it would take a fair amount of travel to reach the ranch. The hand holding his harp strayed, once again moving on instinct to hook it behind his back before he realized himself and suppressed a frustrated growl. He could not carry on unequipped and expect to retain his last thread of sanity. Bending down, he scooped up the tray of food in his free hand. "This way."

_"Where are we going?"_ Navi bobbed along beside him as he stepped lightly away from the Colossus, careful not to disturb any of the creatures beneath the sand. Not bothering with a reply, he walked the short distance to the nearby pair of palm trees, where a weakened section of rock wall stood. Or at least, used to stand, Sheik noted as he stared at the piles of rubble surrounding what was now a large cave entrance. _"Oh yeah, Link blew that up a while ago. This is the Great Fairy's place, right?"_

Red eyes snapped back up to the fairy in disbelief. "You've been here?"

Navi nodded. _"Yeah, after the Water Temple. We figured it was one of the temples, but we couldn't get in because there was this giant block in the way."_ She shrugged her tiny shoulders. _"Anyway, Link found this after we wandered around the outside a while."_

Sheik looked at the entrance one last time before yielding and walking forward. Well, it made getting in easier, at least. Boots tapping lightly on the marble floors, he took a moment to appreciate the serenity of the fountain before walking to a nearby wall. The lyre and tray of food were laid to the side as he knelt to examine the tiles. One of the stones had a tiny Triforce etched in the corner, where it could pass as a trick of the shadows. Carefully, he slid his fingers in the crevice and pulled, revealing the whole stone to be a façade, barely an inch thick with a hollow in the wall. Navi flew closer, blue light illuminating the contents. _"Wow, that's cool, did you put that in here?"_

"No, I was told of their whereabouts by my elder." Hands already working as he talked, he started pulling out items from the small store and stacking them. "Fairy fountains are protected from the monsters of the realm, and so the Sheikah created stores for innocents in need." Finishing with his selection, he picked up the spare tabard from the top of the pile and examined it for defects. Navi made a soft noise of understanding before taking great interest in the cave entrance, flying away to give the other privacy.

Sheik smiled a bit despite himself, then made short work of changing back into a uniform. Sighing in relief at the feel of the familiar fabric, he stored the borrowed shirt and pants. The food had still refused to leave in the process, so he relented long enough to force the most perishable items in his unwilling system. Lack of appetite was a sign of needing to eat, anyway. The nonperishable went in the wall with the tray before the compartment was sealed, once again imperceptible. Next, he picked up the waiting roll of white wraps from the floor, winding his torso with a practiced ease. Halfway through he noticed he could no longer see blue light in the tunnel. "Navi, don't wander too far."

Several long seconds passed with no answer. "Navi?" Tying off the bandages at his chest, he walked to the tunnel to find the fairy's whereabouts.

He was not expecting to hear familiar bootfalls paired with the soft clanking of heavy equipment. Or to see a flash of blonde hair framed in green a few moments later, when his feet stubbornly refused to carry him from his spot.

Link paused halfway into the room and offered a small smile. "Well, I couldn't let both of you run off, you'd do everything without me."

Were this a different, protocol-following interaction, a respectful and somewhat vague reply would occur followed by a swift exit. Unfortunately, a mixture of emotional strain, surprise, and general confusion had somehow impaired the filter between Sheik's reflexes and his mouth, resulting in the much less eloquent "How did you get here?" He immediately winced and adjusted his mask higher, making note to berate himself later.

Link, for his part, rubbed a glove discretely over his mouth, not quite concealing a grin. "I warped." He pulled out the Ocarina and held it up for inspection. "It took a few tries to get it right, but I heard enough of the song and knew where the pad was, so…" He shrugged, blue eyes practically radiating his contained smile. "I'm used to learning the songs from you anyway, even though I missed the speech this time."

Navi chose this point to make her re-entry, saving Sheik a reply by swirling around Link's head. _"Oh good, you're dressed already, sorry I didn't come in to warn you about him but I'm a girl and Link's a guy so I figured if one of us was gonna see you half naked-"_

"Navi!"

It took half a second for Sheik to register that both he and Link had spoken at the same time. Fighting down the heat creeping up his face, he watched Navi hide a giggle and zip from the room again. Link had, at this point, turned away slightly, blond bangs hiding his profile, although the tips of his ears had stained a dark shade of pink. If anything, Sheik felt himself flush more. He heard Link mutter something involving 'kill' and 'nosy fairies' and quietly cleared his throat, hoping his composure would hold. "I apologize for the inconvenience; it was not my intention to remove Navi from your presence." He paused, searching for something more to say, when Link sighed, his posture drooping the slightest bit. It was as if he had just remembered something unpleasant, or perhaps found an answer he wasn't hoping for.

"…But it was your intention to leave again." Despite himself, Sheik felt his eyes widen at the change in Link's normally bright voice. His tone was quiet, flat, and the Sheikah found himself unable to reply. Link turned back just long enough to glance at him. "Since this is the last temple, I'll just wait outside if you want to give me instructions." The monotone in the hero's voice remained, with a hint of something underneath. It took a moment, long enough for Link to turn and start walking, for Sheik to identify it. Defeat.

Something snapped painfully in his chest, something very important that kept the foundations from collapsing. "No! Wait, please…" He bit his tongue as Link paused, wondering how much blood could reach his face before he passed out. The twang in his ribcage sounded again, and he forged ahead in an attempt to relieve the pressure. "I… will not take long, and this area is secure from the elements and creatures of the desert..." At this point Link had turned, fixing him with a searching blue gaze that he forced himself to match. "…should you be so kind as to stay a moment, we could leave together."

Filter be dammed, when this was over Sheik was cutting his entire tongue out. The pain would be well spent if it saved him this mortification.

Nonetheless, he couldn't help but feel something piece itself back together when a small amount of light returned to the pools of blue. "…All right." With slow, measured steps Link finally entered the fountain, the soft illumination dancing off his pale skin. Nodding curtly, Sheik knelt again by his supplies and took a second roll of bandages, intending to make good on his promise of speed.

Wrapping his wrist guards was a well-practiced activity, and he could almost pretend he did not have another set of eyes watching him as he worked, or a hundred phrases hanging in the air that needed to be said. As if catching the thought process, Link spoke, tone carefully casual. "You know, I always wondered what all the bandages were for."

Sheik glanced up momentarily, finding the other's gaze on his wrists. Nodding, he slid a throwing knife under each guard and began to wrap his hands, more slowly so as to demonstrate. "A Sheikah's wrappings are designed to protect from the elements, but also to aid when that protection fails." Link took a few steps closer and crouched down next to him, watching the fighter work. "Injuries are inevitable on a battlefield, and it is necessary to both treat and disguise the weakness before a foe can exploit it. Dressed wounds are an easy target. Wear extra wrappings and an enemy cannot know what ailment is real and what is illusion."

"Hiding in plain sight."

"Precisely. Cut one leg, wrap both." Securing his hand binds, he flexed his arms experimentally and picked up the fresh pouch of deku nuts, stowing them under the front of his tabard. Link turned, setting the Ocarina he was still holding on the floor to stretch backwards and grab Sheik's lyre. On reflex, Sheik picked up the blue instrument, his ingrained protocol not allowing him to leave such an emblem on the ground. The faint buzz of magic within was soothing, and he automatically shifted his hand to hold it properly although he had never so much as touched the clay instrument before.

Link turned back to offer the lyre and stopped, taking note of the situation with a half-smile. "Well, I guess we could trade, but you'd have to pull down your mask to play, you know." Blinking, Sheik quickly offered the ocarina back, trying to not pay attention to the way their hands brushed, then brushed again when he reclaimed his lyre. He was fairly certain both objects were large enough to avoid contact.

It was a relief to finally tuck his harp away behind his tabard and stand, feeling completely equipped and healthy for the first time in several days. Link rose as well, stretching his arms over his head to remove the kinks in his back. "So I suppose that means it's time to start risking our lives again?"

Sheik looked to the tunnel entrance to avoid watching the way Link's stomach muscles shifted. "The Spirit Temple awaits, Hero."

"My name is Link, you know." Red eyes flicked back, the half-smile on Link's face leaving no doubt that they were both recalling the same memory. Link put a hand on his hip in a mock-chiding stance. "I've heard you say it, so I know you can."

It was going against all of his common sense, but something inwardly selfish refrained Sheik from breaking the light mood. He shifted a hip out to the side and turned to face the mischievous blue eyes, keeping his voice perfectly calm. "You must be mistaken Hero, I would never say such a thing. Perhaps I was referring to something else."

The addressed raised both eyebrows, a grin sneaking across his face before being replaced with a challenging expression, both arms crossing over his chest. "Really? I only know one other Link, and I don't exactly see you playing with a seven-year old Goron in your spare time."

"Actually-"

_"Hey guys? It's boiling out here, can you stop being mad at me long enough to make it rain or something?"_

Sheik cut off his words, and both warriors looked to the tunnel entrance. Link glanced back for half a second, an understanding passing through the shared look as they dropped to normal stances. The moment had left. "Sorry Navi, we're coming."

Halfway back into the desert light, Link stopped in his tracks, eyes fixed on the cavern floor. Sheik stopped, waiting silently to discover the problem, when the hero spoke, slow and deliberate. "I know how to get into the temple; I need to go back in time again. One of the Gerudos mentioned an artifact, so hopefully finding it will help when I enter as an adult." He took a deep breath and looked up, startling Sheik with the determination in his gaze. "So we don't really have to talk again until I have the last medallion."

This time Sheik's silence was simply for a lack of things to say, or how to say them even if they were there. Link had made an excellent point, although he could not tell if he was relieved or disappointed. A sinking feeling told him the latter.

In the moments it took to realize this, however, Link had taken another, calmer breath and spoken. "I would, however, like to talk to you before then. Like this." He waved a hand behind him at the fountain, his eyes still holding Sheik firmly in place.

Unable to discern his emotions, Sheik fell back on logic to handle his response. "Hero, you have just informed me of your capability, and I am certain you will not need my guidance through the temple itself. What are we to talk about?"

He had expected a response with words, something along the lines of 'Anything' or 'My name is Link'. Perhaps a smile and a shrug.

He was not expecting the hero to nod, and then take a careful step forward until they were a mere six inches apart. Or when Link finally broke eye contact long enough to lean closer, blurring in Sheik's field of vision and wafting a soft scent of forest and spice through his cowl.

Or the soft, barely-there pressure on the cloth of his right cheek that was gone before he could properly register it.

Link stepped back, the tips of his ears red. "That." Without leaving any time for even an attempt at a reply, he turned and walked from the tunnel, his bootsteps noticeably quicker than usual.

Sheik stood, simply staring at the spot the hero had vacated, his ears vaguely registering the Prelude of Light playing in the distance. His entire world had just ground to a halt, and he could feel the proverbial thunderclouds rolling in to the future. Something had been set in motion, something had begun, and there was no avoiding it or stopping it now. And somehow, despite it all, the only thing he seemed to care about was the tiny little tingling sensation remaining on his cheekbone.

With a small sigh, he checked his dirks and knife guards, then slowly set out across the sands. No Colossus was foolproof, there were always ways in. Besides, he had an awful lot that he didn't need to think about, and fighting for one's life made a wonderful distraction. A gap in the roof cordially provided access, and the first wolfos dropped like a stone.

_But I Can Clear The Way._


	7. Respite

**Part Seven**

**Respite**

The dust in the colossus smelled cleaner than that of the Shadow Temple, but was no less annoying. It settled over everything evenly without the damp cling of decay, but instead remained so dry that every movement sent small clouds to haze the air. After moving for the fourth time, Sheik called it a lost cause and gave up trying to avoid the trickles of dirt cascading from the ancient ceiling. After the twelfth he stopped brushing it from his wraps and uniform and resigned to polish his dirk a few more times while he waited.

At the twenty third he began to question his reasoning to sit on one of the top hidden ledges in a building clearly needing repair. Permitting himself a soft sigh, he looked down to the dirk and cloth in his hands. The remnants of blood had been cleaned away so long ago that they had turned brown in the fabric, but unless another enemy wished to spring from the stonework he had little else to occupy his time.

Actually, that wasn't true. Even without the equipment to access a good part of the temple or face its host, he still had preparations to go through. The last temple marked the beginning of a chain of events that in turn began the final battles, things he could not before think about lest he hope too strongly. A dozen critical steps to be completed rapid fire that he couldn't begin just yet because that would mean leaving this post. Below him lay the sealed entrance to the outside, and for some reason watching that darkened way eclipsed any reason to move. He gave the room below another glance, both unsurprised and disappointed by its vacancy.

"Are you trying to make a mirror of your blade?"

A mixture of training and utter disbelief kept high-strung reflexes in check at the familiar voice behind him. He turned his head slowly, eyes meeting a pleasant smile framed by a sunned, freckled face. After a long pause, he cleared his voice and nodded as formally as possible while sitting down. "Forgive me; I did not realize I was asleep."

The young woman chucked softly, seated on the edge of the ledge beside him as if it was the most natural thing in the world. There were no tracks in the dust around her, no visible way she could have entered the room without equipment or advanced acrobatics, not one smudge on the white of her outfit. "Perhaps you aren't, then. You seem like the kind who would be very aware of his own being." She smoothed out a crease in her dress and crossed her dangling ankles, toying with a red flower in her lap. "Do you like it? They only grow during the spring."

Sheik felt his eyebrows crease, opening his mouth and closing it once. His mind switched to automatic, eyes traveling to the flower she held for inspection. It was not a species he knew, the auburn color matching the woman's firey hair. He wondered if he would be more or less surprised had he recognized it. "…It is very nice."

The comment merited a nose wrinkle and a chiding glance. "You're only saying that because it follows proper conversation protocol, Sir Sheikah." But there was no heat in her words; she smiled and tucked the flower away behind her ear. "What are you waiting for?"

Somehow he couldn't think of a reason to be anything other than honest. "The Hero will arrive at the temple shortly, I wait for him." He gave the entrance another glance, ignoring the little voice in his head that noted he had been repeating that phrase for the past five hours. Realizing belatedly he had begun to clean his dirk again, he sheathed it as discretely as possible.

If his unexpected companion noticed, she pretended otherwise. Instead she nodded and folded her hands in her lap. "Yes, I suppose you do." The ends of her hair ruffled in an unfelt breeze as she watched something invisible across the chamber. Beneath his cowl, Sheik could almost believe he smelled the sea. "Children cannot wait long; they have not lived enough to learn how. Memories of years past keep the old ones company in these times. But although one remembers and one is without, they are both souls to be treasured." Her eyes traveled to him again, her serene hint of a smile never leaving. "But that wasn't the question I was asking." At his blank look she shrugged and stood, dusting off her spotless skirt. Sheik stood automatically with her.

The impossibility hovering in the air began prodding him harder. "My Lady-"

"Please don't lose your lyre, Sir Sheikah. I'd like to have accompaniment for a song or two if you find the time." She lifted a hand in a relaxed wave before a thunderous crash sounded from below. Sheik's head whipped around despite himself - someone had moved the block. A coil of tension he hadn't realized wrapped his chest loosened as he watched the dust stir around the doorway. After a moment he remembered himself and turned back.

There was only air. Where she had stood the dust remained even and unsettled with no prints, as if nothing had disturbed it in an age. He sighed softly and shook his head. "Who are you?"

_"Hey, those worked out great! So, maybe we can sit down now, huh? Or have… a snack? Link?"_

A faint blue light flickered from the doorway, getting steadily brighter. It was no surprise hearing Navi before seeing her, but Sheik's eyes narrowed at the thinly veiled desperation in the fairy's voice. He stepped back, letting the shadow of the temple pillars hide him out of habit while he watched. After a moment he could hear the familiar clank of metal equipment, finally followed by a green figure.

Stomping out the relieved sigh that was for some reason creeping up in his lungs at seeing Link in one piece, he analyzed the hero's stance. Sagging shoulders, heavy, shuffling steps, head low even as it scanned the room. One gauntleted hand was held protectively to his chest, cradled from too much movement. Sheik frowned, brushing his bangs from his face to better watch as Navi continued to ramble.

_"I'm sure he's fine Link, honest! And then he can give you a fancy lecture for being careless and all that as soon as he gets here! I mean, we aren't even sure that he would... um..."_

Her words trailed off as Link crouched down, using his left hand to touch a stain on the floor. Sheik winced as he recognized the patch of wolfos blood from earlier. He had disposed of the bodies to the blowing sands, but blood was harder to clean in a desert. Although why a little stain was so concerning to the hero was... confusing. Certainly he had seen much worse before. Navi cleared her faltered voice and continued.

_"Well all right maybe he did, but it's too much to be Sheik's blood so that means he's fine!"_

"He was hurt before he came in Navi. He still did it." The weary tone and strain in Link's voice had Sheik taken farther aback even before he processed the words. He was exhausted, that much was clear. A good day and a half had passed since their last meeting, time enough for the hero to return to the Temple of Time and his childhood. He would have traveled to the desert, navigated the temple, faced whatever monsters inside met him, and searched until he found the artifact that enabled him to enter. A long, hard fight even if taken slow.

He certainly couldn't have... no.

_"Link?"_ The little ball of light far below drifted down, resting carefully on the hero's still outstretched hand. _"I know you're worried. But you're... you're kind of scaring me, okay? Can you sit for just a second and I'll look around the room? I can do the high parts and I'll be right back, and it'll be faster anyway." _Link ceased his examining of the floor and lifted his head, although it was impossible to see his expression from the angle. Navi's tone turned quiet, and Sheik leaned forward despite the uselessness of the action. _"Just for a little bit, okay? Please?"_

There was a moment of silent staring before Link let his head drop. "You're right Navi, I'm sorry. Go ahead, I'll wait here."

The blue light hopped into the air, shining brighter._ "And sit down?"_

"…And sit down." Sheik could hear the rueful smile in the weary voice and felt his lips quirk faintly in response.

_"And maybe drink a little something, and-"_

"Navi."

_"Okay, okay, I'm going."_ She swirled once around his head and then began to drift up in an outward spiral, scanning the room. True to his word, Link dropped from his crouch to sit in one graceless movement, not bothering to move from his spot on the floor. Sheik wondered when his innards would stop twisting in painful knots at the sight. He quietly stepped to the edge of his platform, waiting for Navi to take notice in her trek about the enormous room.

On cue, he saw her flight falter just slightly, then pick up as if normal. She began to circle even higher, in the upper sections hidden from Link's view. Finally she orbited to the ceiling, swinging wide until making it to the ledge. Sheik stepped back and Navi joined him after a quick check down, drifting by his shoulder to murmur.

_"I… talk to him. You've gotta, Sheik. He figured out you were going in first again and I tried so hard and," _Her whole body drooped in midair, her normal chipper bobs subdued to a simple hover. _"Let him know you're okay?"_

Not trusting his voice while his mouth tasted so strongly of guilt, Sheik simply nodded. The fairy nodded a little in return and then floated off in her continued 'checking' of the room. As her light faded from view he took a slow breath and leapt from his perch to a nearby pillar, to another ledge, to a broken wall, and finally the floor. Each impact made a soft tap that echoed in the chamber - an unspoken signal of his presence. When he finally reached the floor and straightened, he was met with a piercing blue gaze ten yards away.

At this distance Link looked worse than before. He had not moved from the hard stone, his bangs hanging in his eyes to make the shadows below them even more prominent. Even the glint of his silver gauntlets had been dulled with dust and dirt, his right hand still cradled against his tunic. "Hero..."

"Are you hurt?" Link's question came out rushed, as if escaping against his wishes. He looked away quickly, brushing the hair out of his eyes and looking more like a lost child than a legendary warrior. Something deeper than reason coaxed Sheik to move, nudged his feet to walk slowly forward.

"I am not the one we should be concerned with, Hero. But I am unhurt." His voice too appeared to be guided by some invisible source, dropping to a mild, almost gentle tone. When he reached the sitting figure he paused, uncertain. Link turned back, tired eyes searching for the truth in the statement before glinting with an unbidden smile of relief. It was what Sheik needed to go against all he knew and hold out his hand in an offer. "I was however, just preparing for a short rest in your absence. Should you be obliging, I would hear of your success while I do."

His answer prompted a raised eyebrow, but only for a moment before Link chuckled and shook his head. "Yeah, sure." He reached out with his left hand and clasped Sheik's firmly, letting the other help him back to his feet.

Not wanting to have the hero walk far while he was uncertain of his state, Sheik settled on a small alcove against a nearby wall. He reached for Link's elbow and gave it a soft pull to show the direction before walking over, but stopped when the other did not follow. "Hero?"

He glanced back to Link, who shook his head from where he has staring at his sleeve with a far-off look. "Nothing, sorry." Sheik shrugged mentally, letting it pass but filing it away.

With a nod, he continued over to the wall and waited for Link to join him before sitting. It wasn't much, but the protruding stonework served as a suitable bench. Link carefully removed his shield with his good arm before sitting a few feet away and leaning back against the wall with a soft sigh. Sheik watched his movements, trying to figure out what could be wrong that would not have been fixed already. Certainly a cut to his hand would have been bandaged with potion and ignored after healing, not favored like this. "I see you acquired new gauntlets."

"Hmm?" Blue eyes cracked open from where they had drifted closed. "Oh, yeah." He held one out for inspection, the silver glinting with hidden magic. "Nabooru helped me out getting them. I manage to steal a lot of precious ancient artifacts without getting in trouble, actually." He paused at some unpleasant memory, and then smiled sadly. "Well, not the usual kind of trouble anyway."

Sheik nodded, realizing belatedly that Link had most likely witnessed the cause of Nabooru's sudden disappearance seven years ago if they were thinking of the same Gerudo. He winced, deciding to force the subject elsewhere. "And what kind of trouble did your hand run into?"

A sheepish chuckle answered him as Link looked down, rubbing the back of his neck with his good hand. "I was wondering when you'd get to that one. It's not life threatening, at least."

Red eyes met the pause unblinking. "But?"

Link sighed, stance drooping. "I... can't straighten it myself."

It took a bare moment for Sheik to understand the meaning, his eyes widening. He shook his head quickly to clear away the shocked horror of the realization, silently thanking Impa for forcing him to learn how to treat his own wounds. Carefully, he slid across the bench until there was a bare foot between them and held out his hand. "May I? I will only touch your palm."

The hero took a slow breath and met Sheik's gaze, searching for a few moments before his arm slowly uncurled. He placed his hand gingerly in the bandaged palm, leaving the fingers to extend in the air. With great willpower Sheik tore himself from those blue eyes and looked down, examining. Even through the leather, he could tell the index finger had bent in an angle it should never go. He kept his voice controlled, speaking softly. "This looks like the second segment. I can straighten it and heal it after it is set, but the gauntlet will have to come off for me to do so."

"And enchanted gloves means only one way to remove them?" The hand in his was shaking faintly; Sheik resisted the urge to hold it closer and nodded.

"I am afraid so Hero. Taking potion now would heal the bone incorrectly. May I?" He waited for Link to nod and close his eyes before taking a level breath. "Then bite down on my shoulder."

Link's eyes snapped back open, hand pulling back in shock. "W-what?"

Silently cursing the heat in his cheeks, Sheik shifted to face the hero fully as he kept his voice steady. "I would ask for you to face me and bite my right shoulder. It will keep you from jerking away while I work, as well as provide a distraction and hinder your left arm from interfering." He took a slow breath and continued. "My clothing will keep you from causing me damage, and I assure you it will not break my concentration." He paused, reaching again for Link's wrist in what he hoped was an unthreatening manner. "If the idea is too… unsettling we may find another way, but to my knowledge this is the easiest."

He watched the inner battle of emotions flicker across Link's paled face as the hero turned partially, then stopped and weakly tried to pull back from the loose grip on his wrist. "I… it was my fault in the first place, you shouldn't get hurt…"

"Hero." Sheik let his voice firm just enough to reclaim attention before softening it once more. "You won't hurt me; you are the one in the worse. And if I recall I owe you a favor." He spoke carefully and slow, at the end smiling through his mask, although the muted gesture would be barely visible with his face covered. From the surprised look given him, it was seen anyway.

There was a long, agonizing pause before the hero slowly shifted again to face him, then leaned forward, crowding Sheik's line of sight. He could feel the warmth of breath against his neck as Link hesitated, then the gentle pressure of teeth on his shoulder. His heartbeat jumped unexpectedly at the sensation, little jolts shooting down his spine from the point of contact. Taking a slow breath to steady himself, he found Link's scent and warmth taking up the air. Then again, perhaps this would be more difficult than he thought.

He gave himself a mental smack for that thought and forced himself to look down, concentrating on the task in his hand. There was no easy way to remove the glove, but hopefully the leather was loose enough to slide off with minimal pain. He shifted his grip and lifted his other hand, gently pulling the gauntlet at the tip of the pinky until it moved a centimeter. He repeated the process with the thumb, then the ring and middle to leave the index for last. Link's teeth tightened a fraction on his shoulder as he tensed, but Sheik knew hesitating would only worsen the process. As the glove began to slide off Link's free arm wrapped behind his back, gripping one blue clad hip on automatic. The process was thankfully short and without snags, and one long second later the silver gauntlet hit the floor. "Breathe, Hero. Are you all right?"

The hand on Sheik's hip squeezed faintly, shaky breaths beginning again in his ear. Link's bare finger was a swollen shade of purple, making an array of curses bounce merrily through the Sheikah's head as he reached down to search through his own boot. He emerged with a small vial of green potion which he set in his lap. "Take a deep breath and let it out slowly." Link obeyed, his muscles relaxing on automatic.

Before the hero was granted a chance to think about it Sheik had gripped his hand in a vice and used his free hand to force the bone straight. He felt the slight grind and pop a fraction of a moment before Link's teeth clamped down on his shoulder harder than he had believed possible. He bit his own lip and ignored it, as well as the hand bruising his hip and the muffled scream in his ear as he snatched up the vial of potion. Breaking the seal, he emptied the liquid over the straightened finger and spread it across the skin, letting the substance numb and heal. With fast, practiced movements he unraveled the potion-damp bandage from his own hand and began wrapping Link's, using the hero's middle finger as a makeshift splint and binding the two together.

It was when he finished that he noticed the broken whimper Link made into his neck as ragged breath began in his ear again, the death grip on his shoulder slowly loosening. He let the hero take his time releasing him, but to his surprise instead of pulling away Link merely buried his face deeper and let more of his weight relax. Uncertain of what to do with his hands or any other part of himself, he carefully set Link's hand down in the green-clad lap. "Hero? Are you still with us?" After a pause he reached up, resting his hand on the top of the other's warm back.

Their was a tight sound of affirmative in his neck that made Sheik wince. The chest against his took a deep, shuddering breath and finally sighed, slumping against him even farther. "Yeah, I'm here. Thanks."

Having no training in how to handle this situation, Sheik decided to ignore everything that was currently happening. He looked out across the temple, considering counting the tiles in the floor. "…You should take at least some additional potion to aid healing, Hero."

The blonde surrounding him made a muffled noise of disapproval. "Hate potion. Tastes nasty."

There was no arguing with that statement; it was a well known fact that potion was as much a punishment as a help. "Yes, it does." Leaning around to reach Link's pack without jostling him, Sheik fished out the bottle and uncorked it. He held it in the air beside the hero's nose until the other was forced to look over and glare at it. With a heavy sigh and a dramatic effort Link untangled himself and sat up on his own, scooting back to accept the bottle with his good hand. Blue eyes stared forlornly at the thick substance for a moment before closing tightly for Link to throw his head back and down a gulp as quickly as possible.

The absolutely disgusted grimace on his face when he resurfaced made Sheik bite back a smile, offering the water pouch to cover it. Link snatched it, draining every drop in an apparent attempt to cleanse his mouth before wiping his face on his sleeve. "Ugh."

Sheik reached over, pulling the arm back before Link could forgetfully use his bandaged hand as a rag when he ran out of shirt. "You'll need to keep your hand still long enough for the magic to take effect." He set the hero's arm down gently and reached behind his tabard. "Have you eaten?"

_"Not unless you count faceplanting in sand a few times."_

They both looked up to find Navi drifting down from the ceiling to rest on Link's shoulder. Unperturbed by the mumbled 'second time didn't count', she flipped to lie on her belly and shrug at Sheik. _"It's why Malon stuffs you guys when you go over, I think."_ She took a half second to glance down at Link's hand, wings fluttering as she took in the bandage, then Sheik's lack of one. _"Oh, so that's what all the bandages are for? That makes a lotta sense, one for everything!"_

"Something like that." It was hard to not notice the private little smile on Link's face at the fairy's words, but Sheik did his best while unwrapping the remainder of the dried meat and fruit Malon had forced on him. He took a small piece and set the rest between them, waiting for Link to follow suit before looking back to Navi. However, instead of the continued mix of questions he was expecting, the little fairy seemed to realize something, reaching up to tug on a lock of Link's blond hair before pointedly flipping around to face away from both of them. Sheik blinked, watching as Link smiled and rolled his eyes, turning his head to keep Navi in his view and offer her a bit of fruit.

It was only when he briefly looked away and pulled down his mask long enough to take a bite that he realized the two of them were giving him privacy while he ate. A small smile crept to his face, spreading when Navi made a sweeping gesture of intense interest at the cracks in the far corner. Link nodded knowingly, waving his piece of apple at the corner in agreement before popping it in his mouth. "So what fun filled adventure are you off on now that we're taking your spot?"

_"Don't talk with you mouth full, sloppy. Sorry Sheik., I didn't teach him that."_ Navi seemed oblivious to the food muffling her own words as she chewed.

"I'm sure you didn't." Finished, Sheik pulled up his mask and leaned back against the wall. "Lon Lon and Kakariko need to be checked, although under Miss Malon and Lady Impa's watch I doubt I will be needed. The majority of my time will be preparing for the last sage to be awakened and preparing the trigger to unleash the final magics in the Temple of Time."

Link lost interest in the far corner, turning back to raise an eyebrow at Sheik. "Final magics?"

Sheik shook his head, looking carefully at the empty bundle as he put it away. "Nothing of real importance, it will be done in time for your return. The battle ahead will be much more pressing at that point."

When he glanced back up Link was giving him an odd look, but after a moment the hero shook his head and smiled it away. "So you're going all around Hyrule in the time I navigate one building? Deku nuts must be handy." He leaned his unoccupied shoulder against the wall, settling into a more comfortable position.

The change of subject caught him off guard, but was certainly welcome. Sheik shrugged. "As long as the spells don't go awry, in which they become more life-threatening." He realized then that Navi had stopped contributing to the conversation. Leaning around for a better view, he realized that the little fairy had fallen asleep draped across Link's shoulder, one arm dangling down his tunic front.

Link followed his gaze and smiled softly at the sight, lowering his voice. "Yeah, I figured. How do you get from here to there without ending up in a lava pit, exactly?" His eyes were starting to droop farther as well, and he paused to yawn.

Sheik also dropped to a soft murmur, unconsciously re-wrapping his thumb as he worked on how to explain. "Once the magic is unleashed it will carry you in any direction until it is depleted without the right focus. One must know their destination, feel it with their soul and senses as a tangible thing and force it to become true." He shook his head helplessly. "That is the best I can phrase it, I am afraid."

"Mmm, makes sense though." Link's eyes had drifted closed, his voice a soft mumble.

His next words were too low for Sheik to understand, and he leaned in closer. "What did you say, Hero?"

One blue eye cracked open a fragment, looking into his own. "We never talked about it."

"Oh." The statement was familiar, but for several seconds Sheik could not place its value. His eyes narrowed as he searched his mind for the memory, and then widened not a second after, a tingling spreading across his nose. Oh.

During the pause Link's other eye had opened, his face growing more concerned. "Sheik-"

"I suppose," He overrode whatever hesitant statement the hero was about to make, letting their eyes meet evenly, "That we will be forced to speak again to cover that subject." He let Link search his gaze, feeling wretched but refusing to let it show.

Eventually fatigue won out and Link nodded, closing his eyes with a hint of a smile. "That sounds nice."

Sheik looked away, something in him ripping in two. "It does." Silently, he picked up the empty water pouches. "I am going to refill your water outside; this room is secure." Link hummed softly in reply and the Sheikah stole silently from the room.

When he returned Link had already entered a deep slumber, breathing slow and even. He set the water down and looked over the hero's hunched position, hesitating before bending down and lifting Link's legs onto the bench. He nudged the sleeping Navi with one finger as he had seen before, smiling when she crawled into his hand without ever opening her eyes. His free arm wrapped around Link's back, coaxing him away from the wall to lie back instead. Link mumbled something unintelligible but complied, although Sheik had to remove himself quickly to stop the hero from using his injured hand as a pillow.

Satisfied, he eased Navi from his hand and onto the green clad chest, then stepped back. For a few moments he merely took in the peace of the scene, but soon the guilt became too much and he turned away. "Next time." The whisper came without his consent or notice as he walked again from the temple.

_And may he never know it is the last._


	8. Solo

**Part Eight**

**Solo**

_She looked so young in that moment. Frightened but determined despite, a rip in the hem of her silk dress and a smudge on one pale cheek. For a fleeting instant they stared from their places across everywhere and nowhere. Her mouth opened as she raised one delicate hand, whether to ward him off or detain him he never knew. Whatever words she began were swallowed in golden light, and then she was gone, replaced by shadow and stone._

_He blinked slowly as he adjusted to the change, looking around the rock walls of a cave until he found a stern figure regarding him rigidly. It took a moment of staring before his motor reflexes reminded him what to do, and he dropped into a hesitant bow. "My Lady."_

_There was a heavy pause before she made a minute gesture and he lifted his head enough to see her strong jaw. Her arms uncrossed and she strode forward, looming over the adolescent as she reached out and raised his chin to study his face. Her mouth tightened at something found, but smoothed again almost immediately. "Do you understand your purpose?"_

_He searched his mind at the question, finding the answer whispered back to him in a voice not his own. Crimson eyes narrowed, blinked once, and then met those above him solidly. "I understand."_

_The woman nodded and released him, waving him to stand. "I am Impa." She stepped back, then turned to walk from the cave without checking to see if he followed. He did so automatically._

_"Your name shall be Sheik."_

X

The cucoos rustled about sleepily as the first rays of sun reached the gates of Lon Lon. Humming a soft tune, Malon rested her basket of eggs on one hip and lifted her skirts to step around the chattering hens. She left them to peck at their breakfast and walked back to the house through the kitchen door. Taking the kettle off the fire with one hand, she peered into the stove before putting down the basket beside the milk pails. The smell of baking bread had begun to waft through the morning air. With a quick check into the next room she sighed and shook her head, then took two pots from their hangers, twirled them to her satisfaction, and smashed them together.

The surprised shout and thud of Talon falling off his bed made her smirk in satisfaction, returning one pot to the rack and keeping the other. As she turned back to the stove she paused, an anomaly at the corner of her eye making her glance back. On the table was a small pile of blue that had not been there when she walked outside. One eyebrow lifting, she strode over and plucked up the top article, holding it to the light for inspection. A familiar shirt, freshly cleaned and folded. Looking down she found pants and a neat stack of dishes, all arranged on top of a breakfast tray. The pot was set down with a firm thud, skirts swishing as she marched over to the cabinets and opened one, digging out the hidden money box from this week's milk sales. Eyes narrowing, she muttered softly to herself as she counted the contents, and then slammed the box shut with a huff.

"Fifty extra. Stubborn mules, the both of them." With a sigh, she replaced the till and took out a mixing bowl, turning her attention back to the oven. Every so often she glanced over her shoulder at the neat stack of her things, then shook her head and resumed stirring.

"At least he's all right."

X

Despite its stillness, the Temple of Time held a melody to it. It rested in the white stone, hovered in the air, breathed through the glass with the rays of light. The presence waited, suggesting if one only listened close enough they would find the notes. Sheik had yet to hear, but he kept his movements silent as he worked. There was always an opportunity.

Slowly, he tied off the wraps on his right hand, flexing his fingers as he studied the back. In front of him the three sacred gemstones revolved, glinting and casting colored shadows beneath them. Symbols of trials completed by a boy, a child, with no aid or guidance save a tiny fairy and his own will. No sacred sword or warping songs felled the monsters holding these three pieces; it was Link and Link alone. His determination had lasted and not faltered even then; it was a comforting thought.

And yet he found himself wishing he could have been there.

Looking away, he turned and walked easily to the temple entrance. There was no point in rushing when he could only wait, and he doubted his legs would move at any other pace. He reached the shadows in front of the warp pad and leaned against the wall, folding his arms. His hands should be shaking he supposed, or his pulse racing. But as he continued to breathe evenly, he felt… calm. His mind had adopted a relaxed state that he had not forced upon it through training. Perhaps this was what making peace felt like. Whatever it was, he accepted it with gratitude.

But then the Prelude of Light swirled through the air, and Sheik felt his breath catch as the spiral of light faded to reveal the object of his thoughts. Decked in red tunic and shield, Link lowered the ocarina from his lips and opened his eyes, pausing to check on Navi before he scanned the room. "Sheik?"

Shaking his head, Sheik stepped forward into view. Navi brightened and waved over, bobbing around Link's head. _"Oh, there you are! That was fast and look, we're all still standing this time!"_

"Well technically you're not, Navi." Link dodged the swat effortlessly, chuckling as he spread his arms and turned a slow circle for Sheik's inspection. "Nothing maimed or broken, and I even took a nap after talking to Nabooru." He dropped his arms with a grin, hair falling in his eyes as he tilted his head playfully. Sheik nodded, not finding the muscles to smile back.

"You have come far." His voice seemed too flat and quiet to be his own. Confusing.

_"Yeah, and now that we've gone through all the crazy temples and finally finished there's gotta be one last one more insane-"_

Navi's voice faltered in confusion when Link glanced at her and held up a hand. His smirk had left, brows coming together in concern over a long look. "Sheik, is everything okay?"

At his tone Sheik gathered his voice back and nodded. "Everything will be fine, Hero." Link seemed to catch the phrasing, but he forged ahead before it could be questioned. "There are no further songs, but I have one speech left if you would hear it."

The hero took a few quiet steps forward off the warp platform, Navi hovering with silent concern at his shoulder. "…All right."

"Another unknown legend of the Triforce passed down by the Sheikah…" The familiarity of a memorized script should have comforted him, but something heavy had settled in his stomach and was only gaining weight as he began. He found himself skipping the beginning section, determined to get to the heart of the speech before it reached his lungs. "The sacred triangle, it is a balance that weighs the three forces: Power, Wisdom, and Courage. If the heart of the one who holds it has all three forces in balance, that one will gain the True Force to govern all. But, if that one's heart is not in balance, the Triforce will separate into three parts: Power, Wisdom, and Courage."

Link nodded, but the line furrowing his brow had not lifted. He began to take another step forward, and Sheik inwardly grabbed for the calm he felt not minutes ago to continue.

"Only one part will remain for the one who touched the Triforce… the part representing the force that one most believes in. If that one seeks the true force, that one must acquire the two lost parts." It was becoming more difficult to breathe, the weight spreading and slowing his words. "Those two parts will be held within others chosen by destiny, who will bear the Triforce mark on the backs of their hands."

"The legend came true, seven years ago when Ganondorf entered the Sacred Realm. Only the Triforce of Power remained in his hand, while the other two vanished, to emerge in their bearers." He was almost there. "The holder of the Triforce of courage fell to the one who would one day be called the Hero of Time." He looked up from where his eyes had strayed, meeting that gaze of sky and faltering. The burden in his chest finally became words.

"…You, Link."

_I don't want to go._

Link's lips parted in shock, whether from hearing Sheik speak his name or learning he held a piece of the Triforce it was uncertain. He closed his mouth and swallowed, then slowly looked down. "Sheik, your hands are shaking."

He had one line left, one simple line, and he could not say it. The Triforce of Wisdom, his mind repeated for him, urging him to finish. He overrode it. Stepping forward, he lifted his trembling right hand and let his fingertips rest against the warm cheek of the hero in front of him. Link lifted his head immediately, but then seemed to freeze in place. Slowly, Sheik flattened his bandaged palm to cup that pale jaw, bringing himself close enough to feel the fabric of their shirts barely brush. He leaned in, forcing Link's eyes to droop and close.

"I never deserved your sunshine, but please grant me one more selfish indiscretion. Forgive me." At the end of the soft, desperate whisper he closed the distance, gently pressing his clothed lips against ones soft and warm. He stayed only long enough to breathe in the other's scent, absorb a small amount for his own before dropping his hand and stepping back.

Link's eyes fluttered open, dazed. This time, Sheik found a smile waiting for him to use as he continued to move back, even though it hurt. "The Triforce of Wisdom was given to another. The last sage, destined to rule them all…"

_I don't want to leave him._

Clarity seemed to return to Link to be quickly replaced by fear. One gauntleted hand lifted, and he began forward in a run. Sheik braced his feet and snapped his hand up, feeling the golden power swell at his call. The triangle burst forth on his hand, sending out a blinding light that swallowed everything.

_"SHEIK!"_

It felt like being carried away on the sea. He spared a moment wondering why this seemed familiar, and then let himself be gone among the soft waves.


	9. Hope

**Part Nine**

**Hope**

The clouds of ash and dust had long settled; the rubble from the collapsed castle finally ceasing in its rumbling. In the center stood an open ring of charred black, the earth inside ripped apart from metal and claws. The scars left by the monster Ganon were trying to fade to a painful memory, the soft breeze brushing dirt to fill in the gashes. Above tiny patches of blue sky peeked through the clouds.

Sitting on a broken pillar some distance away, Link watched them with unseeing eyes as the princess of Hyrule coaxed her healing magic into his side. Navi sat quietly on his knee, occasionally alternating between watching his face and the soft glow of the hands tending him.

Her hands - their caring touch was too hesitant, too uncertain. They were delicate at peeling away the charred tunic to better reach the burn, but the fingers lacked the soft deliberation he had become used to. He sighed quietly, the small noise breaking the thick silence. "You aren't him, Zelda."

The hands stilled, then slowly drew away, placed Zelda's lap as she leaned away. There was a rip on her glove and burns marring the fabrics of her dress, her golden hair tousled and damp at her neck. She examined a stain on her skirt. "Yes, I know."

Navi looked up and flicked her wings; the most animation the fairy had shown for the past hour. _"How come you told us that then?"_

Zelda kept her eyes on the discolored spot, brows drawing together. Her words seemed to take a great deal of effort, as if they pained her said aloud. "It was wrong of me. I...I did not know what else to do. At the time-"

"The sages had been awakened, and Ganondorf knew it." Link found himself overriding her softly. "There was no room for an explanation, not with our lives and Hyrule hanging in the balance and an evil king at the doorstep." He brought his head down as hers lifted, meeting pale eyes. There was an innocence in them, a hopeless searching for understanding under a deep well of guilt.

He selfishly wished he could be angry, to find some defiant fault and something to blame. He wished for her to hold her head high and haughty or break down sobbing so that he could feel disgust, betrayal, injustice. Anything other than this heavy emptiness in his stomach that the truth in her face could not cover. Instead he dropped his head, running his hand through his soiled bangs. "It wasn't your fault, Zelda." And he knew it; had no right to pretend otherwise. Back in the sky a single bird flitted under the clouds. "But we have time now."

The princess took a slow breath, drawing herself up to sit at her full height beside him. Her hands had tightened, but her nod was firm. "You are right, we do." She stood, not bothering to dust herself off as she scanned the battleground. "Are you able to walk? The explanation will be easier to show."

His side still burned dully, his body ached and his feet screamed from punishment put through them. He stood and held out his hand for Navi when she was forced into flight. "Yeah. I'm fine."

Zelda's supple jaw set as she stared determinedly forward. "Very well. This way."

X

_"I didn't know there was a cave here."_ Navi's quiet observation echoed in the silence. Not a single word had been spoken as they walked from the rubble and trekked across the field. There a tiny, easily overlooked gap in the wall between Kakariko and Death Mountain opened up to something much larger. The circular cave had no light save its opening and Navi's glow, the few rusted stands scattered about having long lost their candles. At the fairy's soft words Zelda seemed to bring herself back from her thoughts.

"Only Impa and myself knew of its existence." She shifted her weight and squared her slender shoulders. "I will try to make this explanation as concise as possible, but it will take some time and I ask for your patience." Her hands fisted at her sides, then relaxed slowly, as if forced to do so. In her determination, Link could see past the little girl from his memory and forward the trained ruler of Hyrule. He nodded mutely, and lifted a hand to encourage her to begin. After a short pause, she finally did so.

"When I escaped the castle seven years ago, this is where Impa brought me." She looked to the darkened walls, running her fingers absently along the cool stone. "Of course, I could not hide away for long. With Ganondorf's power spreading, no cave would be secret enough and I hadn't the strength to face him alone. Nor did I want to drop the entirety of the battle on your shoulders; to simply throw a boy an ocarina and vanish. So here Impa and I set to create a disguise, one that would hide me from Ganondorf's eyes and allow me to walk and work freely."

She waved vaguely at the floor, where Link could see a rough circle made from the stands. "We hadn't much time to create one, but we had no choice but to try. I stood here and called on my own small magic, hoping it combined with Impa's shadow techniques would provide us with at least a facade to buy time. Long enough to awaken the sages and gather in the Temple of Light, where the final steps could fall into place."

Her blonde hair reflected in the glow as she lowered her head. "We had no idea that it would work as well as it did."

She paused, and Navi bobbed in the air. _"What do you mean by-"_

"Navi." Link glanced up at her and tapped his shoulder. Deflating, Navi silently floated down and sat, waiting for the story to continue.

"I had not known at that time that I held the Triforce of Wisdom, nor that Impa was the sage of the Shadow Temple. When we called on our powers to mix, they tapped into their full forces to grant a desperate request. Instead of my appearance altering I was swept off to a place of light. For a moment I believed the spell had killed me. But across the way I saw a boy, with blond hair and red eyes, hidden beneath a mask. Then he vanished, and I was left alone."

She shook her head violently as her voice faltered, clearing her throat to recompose herself. "Within the realm of light I had little concept of time. The Triforce of Wisdom fed me what passed throughout the years in knowledge, but not memory. I knew new words and places; I knew of your success with each temple, but I recalled no sights or sounds. It was not for me to experience. The spell was made to create the perfect illusion."

"And it made reality."

Zelda nodded slowly, her voice flattening to a monotone. "Ganondorf could not find me if I was not here. With my untested wisdom and Impa's presence, a separate being would be exactly what we asked for, but nothing that we intended." She examined her shoe, inhaling softly. "What...was his name?"

Link looked away from her, to a line of water dripping down the cave wall. His throat itched and his eyes burned, but he refused to acknowledge them. "His name is Sheik."

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Navi's wings flicker, knowing she caught his wording. _"Link?"_ He only shook his head, a voice replaying words that suddenly made sense.

_I couldn't bear that, knowing leaving would hurt him._

_Everything will be fine, Hero._

_I'm sorry Link - I'm so sorry._

"He knew. He knew the entire time, didn't he?"

He did not want to hear the answer or listen to any more explanations, but Zelda's soft voice carried through relentlessly. "Impa would not have lied to him, nor the Triforce hid the truth. As his knowledge filtered to me, I assume mine transferred to him upon his... in the beginning." She hesitated, then shifted on her feet. "I... the Triforce of Wisdom did not pry into privacy, nor thoughts. But at some point, I realized."

Realized what? She had known the situation from the beginning. At the meaningful pause drew on however, he felt his mind grind to a slow halt. He turned his head inch by inch and met her pale gaze, full of sorrow and understanding. "Realized?" The word came forced as his tongue tripped over it, and he suddenly wished for it back. This was wrong. This was not how it should happen.

"I realized-"

"No." It came out through his teeth, startling Zelda into silence and earning shocked stares from both her and Navi. He blinked violently and shook out his arms, straightening himself. "I can't hear that from you Zelda. I want him to explain." At his words something sparked weakly back to life in his chest, lending a small strength even as Zelda looked at him with poorly veiled sympathy.

"Link, he can't give you an explanation." Her tone had taken on that of explaining a loss to a small child. Another time, he may have appreciated the irony. "He isn't-"

"No, Zelda." He was interrupting the ruler of Hyrule yet again, but he couldn't bring himself to care as he met her gaze with a focus he felt only in battle. "Don't you say he's not real. He convinced himself that, and he sacrificed every moment he had because of it. He changed lives, he changed time, his footprints are everywhere and they aren't leaving. And don't you say he's not alive, because we don't know that and I don't believe it." His tone wavered, but his stance grew firmer. Having said it aloud triggered a flow of determination that shot through his weary muscles. "Ganondorf is defeated Zelda; you have your kingdom back and they have you to rely on. I did what the sages called me for."

_"You're gonna go after him, aren't you?"_

At the warm tone Link looked over in surprise, finding Navi perched in the air with her chin propped in her hand. She shrugged and smiled at him, then looked over to Zelda. The princess was regarding them both with a torn expression. "I...what do you mean?"

"I need you to send me to where you were, Zelda."

She shook her head immediately, eyes wary. "That isn't possible, Link. Even if he were... The place I was had no definition; I may as well have been nowhere."

He merely shrugged. "Then send me to nowhere."

"It does not work that way." As she spoke she stepped back, voice getting sharper. "You would be committing suicide and I would be assisting you. A normal transport spell is fragile and requires incredible focus. Not only are you suggesting an impossible destination, but the power put into it would certainly rip you to pieces. And I refuse to put another life on my conscience today." Although Link had an advantage of several inches' height, the piercing will of her gaze put them on level ground. Still, he refused to look away even as he softened his speech.

"You need to feel your goal, to know it with your soul and senses until it's a fact, and then force it to become true." Zelda blinked, and he turned his gaze to the ceiling. The smell of cinnamon from a head on his shoulder, the sound of soft words mingling with harp notes. The feel of a strong chest to lean against, the taste of something rich and regretful hidden beneath the touch of a cloth mask. "His eyes warm like the setting sun when he smiles." He brought his face back down. "Zelda, I am not asking you to help me die. I am asking you to give me a way to reach."

"This is-"

_"Sheik's still out there." _All eyes turned to Navi, who was watching the princess with an uncommonly serious expression. _"I know that you don't want to think about it, because you're afraid if you hope you'll just end up with the same answer, but hope is what made today possible. You didn't kill him, Zelda, 'cause he's still alive. We just have to go get him, is all."_ She smiled brightly and looked over at Link for confirmation.

"You can't come, Navi."

The smile fell and shattered on the floor. _"...What?"_

"Two minds in one spell cause interference that have disastrous results even with the most trained." Zelda volunteered absently, finding something extremely troubling in a rock formation to her left. "It would add an entire new set of impossibilities to this... this insanity."

The fairy looked back and forth between them, wings flaring erratically._ "Wha-no! I'm the guide! You need me to go with you!"_

"Navi-"

_"I care about Sheik too!"_

"I know you do-"

_"I'm not afraid, I warped with you so many times and went through every dungeon-"_

"That isn't-"

_"I fought Ganon with you! I'm not some useless mind, you need me!"_

"Navi." He held out his hand, waiting for her to meet his eyes. "I do need you. But right now need to know you're here and okay if I'm going to do this." She fluttered for a moment, then drifted to his open palm with her face downcast. "I can't put you at risk too."

_"...How am I supposed to be okay without you?"_ Never before had he seen Navi look lost. Her tiny voice was hurt and bewildered, and it pulled harshly on his already abused heartstrings. He brought her up to eye level, murmuring lowly for her ears only.

"I'll be back Navi, before you know it. I'll bring us both back. Do you trust me?"

She didn't look up, watching her toes. _"Yeah."_

"And tomorrow we'll all sleep as long as you want and I'll never mention the word drool again."

Glowing eyes looked up hesitantly, and he gave her a small smile - the first in what seemed like days. _"You promise?"_

"Yeah, I promise."

She rubbed furiously at her face with her fists, but nodded. _"O-okay."_ As she fluttered back into the air she drifted to his ear to whisper. _"Don't get lost, you still gotta tell him."_

He nodded and mouthed a 'thank you' her way, then turned to Zelda. The ruler had watched them in silence, and continued to do so for a few long seconds before speaking tightly. "You understand what you are doing?"

She should never have this responsibility shoved upon her, he knew. He stepped forward, placing a light hand on her shoulder. "I understand Zelda. Please do this for me."

A battle raged for a few moments more in her eyes before she closed them, lowering her chin. "Stand in the center." He gave her shoulder a small squeeze and obeyed. Her hands began to glow with golden, offset by Navi drifting behind her to watch. When her voice ran out, it left no room for argument. "Focus now. Do not think of where you are going, know it. Know it with your soul and do not let go for anything. Make it become."

Link closed his eyes as the light grew, surrounding him. He forgot her voice and listened to the soft tenor echoing in his head, forgot the cold of the cave and felt the warmth of a bandaged hand.

"Good luck."

It began as a gentle pull at his chest, and then the world crashed around him. With a brutal yank to his spine he hurtled backwards through what felt like a pane of glass, and then he was falling. He gritted his teeth and thought of calm red eyes, and then his back hit water that smelled of salt. Air and mind left him as he slowly sank into the sea.


	10. Crescendo

**Part Ten**

**Crescendo**

Among the rocky cliffs and surf was a small, sandy grove overlooking the sea. Besides the occasional crying gull no creatures crossed this hidden shore, leaving the palm trees to sway peacefully in the breeze. On a worn log sat a young woman, ankles crossed as she hummed a song to the setting sun. The warm rays caught her hair, illuminating the red color until she appeared wreathed in flame. Finally she paused in her music, smiling at the waves. "Questions that go unasked don't find many answers, you know."

Leaning on the rough trunk of a tree to her left, Sheik blinked from his study of the sky and glanced over. His clothing and hair was still damp, sand stubbornly clinging to the creases of his uniform. After a moment he sighed and lowered his head. "My apologies. I am having a hard time understanding why I am here."

In response he received a giggle, the woman's freckled nose crinkling cheerfully. "I pulled you over, remember? The drag marks are still there." She waved to the sand, where the surf had indeed not reached far enough to hide the body sized crease and footprints. "You were heavy." Before he could begin she fluttered a hand for silence, looking over. "Yes, I know what you meant." She scooted over on her log and patted the widened space beside her, smiling silently up at him. After a few long moments of deciding she was not going to speak again until he moved, Sheik reluctantly pushed off his tree and walked over. When he sat stiffly on the far end she nodded her satisfaction and looked back to the ocean. "Well, I did ask for you to come, after all. I'm glad you kept your lyre for me."

Instinctively, he reached to brush the instrument hidden on his back with one hand. She had asked for him to keep it, and miraculously his arrival had failed to dislodge it. "I thought I was to die, or perhaps cease to be."

"Did you want to?" Although her eyes stayed forward, the tone of her question took a harder, more serious note. He opened his mouth to reply that it wasn't about what he wanted, that it was needed, that he did not regret what must be. But somehow, looking out into the endless ocean, he felt the words die away. It was done, was there any use in dodging simple questions anymore?

"…No."

When he looked over to her she was watching him, warm eyes smiling in warm light. "And that's why it matters." She chuckled lightly at the blank look given her and began drawing lines in the sand with her feet. After a moment, she began to hum again, then softly sing. The words slipped through his ears without registering, but he recognized the song. A ballad, one achingly familiar. On automatic he unhooked the lyre from his back, fingers following the memorized notes.

He had been right - her voice was of legends.

The sun slipped down as the music flowed, shadows lengthening. However, there was a feeling in his fingertips, an off subtlety in the harp's vibrations that did not leave. He frowned slightly, looking down as if he could spot the invisible imperfection when a hand touched his waist. Starting, he turned to his companion and found her gone, her footprints in the sand winding their way out of the grove. That she had walked off without his notice was somehow more unsettling than her previous vanishing in thin air; it added to the general sense of wrongness.

As he hooked his harp back the touch came again, firmer. His eyes snapped to his side to find only air, but this time the feeling had not left. A warm hand, seeming to hesitate before gripping firmly. Unnerved, Sheik stood and unsheathed one of his dirks on the way. He ran his own hand across the spot on his waist and sidestepped a few feet. The ghost touch did not leave, merely lightening for a second and then squeezing plaintively. Red eyes narrowed in a frown. Strange as it was, this did not feel like a threat. Taking a slow breath, he slowly replaced the dirk.

Almost immediately another touch responded, this one his back. He tensed and both invisible hands shied away, then returned almost hesitantly. If he closed his eyes, he could feel them faintly trembling. His frown deepened, and he quietly called out to the air. "What do you want?"

The response he received was a gentle push from the force against his back. Not nearly enough to move him, just a nudge forward. His mind was weighing the chances of an ambush, calculating all he knew of invisibility and outside curses. But in this place beyond life and above death, it was his curiosity that won. He stepped forward, following the pressure and obligingly turning when the hand at his side guided him to due so. When the surf began to lap at his boots, he stopped. Ahead, the waves rolled endlessly.

Was this some twisted subconscious thought trying to drown him? He lifted an eyebrow and shook his head, starting to turn back when the feeling on his side switched to weakly tugging. Despite himself, Sheik stared. It almost felt like a plea. And there was something so familiar in the touch, the way the invisible fingers settled. Something strong and innocent, something careful to avoid his injuries while keeping him upright...

Red eyes snapped wide in shock, gaze jerking to the sea ahead.

Before he registered the movement Sheik had broken into a running dive, plunging headfirst into the water along the invisible line.

X

His chest burned.

The patch of orange light he assumed to be the surface was slowly shrinking, but his limbs refused to move to bring it back. That it had started so high above already was an unfair advantage anyway. Everything that wasn't numb ached, but it was hardly noticeable above the agony of his lungs. He mentally thrashed and fought, trying to force his arms to move, his fingers to twitch, even to blink his eyes. This was beyond claustrophobia or panic; unable to move, breathe, scream. And still he sank, and the world faded away.

"Are you planning on leaving it like that, then?"

Were he capable of it, Link would have jerked to look at the disembodied voice to his left. Instead, the speaker cordially walked through the water into view and sat cross-legged on his chest. He wondered how exactly he knew she was smiling when all he could see was a vague outline of red hair. Perhaps it was the tone of voice. She remained silent for a second and then sighed. "Do you remember why you set out in the first place?"

Of course he did. That he could have forgotten was vaguely insulting, and he tried and failed to scowl. The silhouette sitting on him huffed and folded her hands in her lap. "Oh, don't act that way. You used your whole heart to leap for your goal?"

If possible, even more than that. He was sinking into certain death with an apparition using him for a chair, and all of it still seemed secondary. The thing hovering at the forefront of his mind was of…

"Yes?" There was a strong undertone of amusement in her voice, making Link clamp down on the thought before it ran rampant in his head. He received a chuckle in response. "All right, don't tell. Your end is never lacking, anyway." She paused, propping her chin in her hand to study him. "Did you ever consider that perhaps the goal did not want to be reached?"

…What?

"That would mean no."

He mentally backtracked, forcing aside the darkness creeping on the rim of his mind. Was that possible? It had seemed so cut and dry at the time, but was he trying to rescue the unwilling?

"Are you?"

It took a long second agony before the realization hit him. Without noticing, he blinked. No. No he wasn't.

"How do you know that?" Her voice was smiling again.

This wasn't a rescue. He just wanted to see him again. To hear him, talk to him, know his existence. It was that selfish and that simple. So in the end, he was the one left needing.

"And where does drowning fit into the equation, exactly?"

Well he hadn't planned on this happening.

"I know." Her voice softened from its teasing tone to something more melancholy. "You never change. But now you need to move your arm."

He dearly wished he could roll his eyes. What did she think he was trying to do?

"No, that's wrong. You were trying to go up." She reached forward and poked at his forehead, not that he felt it. "That does you no good; it's too far." As if suddenly remembering something she turned and looked to the tiny point of surface, voice tightening. "It's just one arm. You need to reach back."

Back? How would that do any good?

"Just a few inches, come on." Her arms unfolded, resting unfelt on his left elbow. The fire in his lungs was spreading, creeping to the edges of his vision. He was starting to fade, and once that happened there was no returning.

His thumb twitched, and a bolt of tingling pain shot up to his shoulder. "That's it, now the rest." Her hands were out of his field of view, but he had a feeling she was attempting to push with her ethereal fingers. Another twitch, and then sluggishly his arm began to move. It was agonizingly slow; what he thought being buried alive must feel like as he forced his way through the water. One inch, two...

When he hit something soft and slick, his companion exhaled and nodded quickly. "Now close your fingers. Pull." He hadn't hit the bottom of the ocean yet; he had to have felt into his pack. "Farther, come on. We're going up now." On the top of his supplies he kept potions for fast retrieval, almost everything else could wait a few seconds to dig for. It was a cranky Navi and a sudden rain storm that decided the almost. "To your face, touch your nose."

As the blue fabric of his Zora hat covered his mouth, he felt the familiar tickle of magic and a brush of air. His lungs reacted instantly, gasped at the thin flow that the small piece could provide. The pain in his chest ebbed, waning to a steady ache as he panted for the tiny breaths. Above him, the silhouette chucked, and then craned her neck to look behind. "I think that managed it." She stood and stepped off, the glimmer of light catching her smile. "I knew you would come back some day. It just took a little while for him to figure it out."

He couldn't decide if she was fading or if he was blacking out when something very solid collided with his right arm and clamped down on it. With one hard yank his slow sink turned to a fast ascension that made his spinning head add cartwheels to its routine. A hand joined his over his face, holding the cloth in place as his back pressed against something solid and familiar. While the glow of the surface increased he felt his mind relaxing into the arm around his abdomen, a smile coming to his lips unbidden.

Thank you, Marin.

You're welcome Link.

X

The moment they broke the surface Sheik wrenched his hand away from the hero's mouth, giving Link access to the air. His own cowl was making it difficult to pull in breath, but he was not about to waste time moving it. Instead he adjusted his grip and flipped them over, keeping Link above him and stroking on his back towards the shore. The weight of their combined equipment still pulled him beneath the waves twice before his feet hit sand, but to his horror the body against him did not let out so much as a gasp.

Panic lending adrenaline, he half hauled and half carried his burden ashore, coughing up saltwater along the way. He dropped to his knees in the sand and carefully lowered Link to the ground. "Hero?"

The blue eyes were closed, but one gauntleted hand still held a piece of fabric to the pale face. Sheik reached down and ripped both away, and the reaction was instantaneous. Link surged up, his entire body wracked with violent coughing as he tried to expel the water from his lungs. Sheik quickly wrapped an arm around the other's back and propped him to a sitting position, holding him upright as he convulsed uncontrollably.

It took a long minute for the fit to die down, Link's lungs having apparently exhausted themselves with one last miserable whimper. Carefully, Sheik lowered the hero back, letting the blonde head stay elevated by resting it on his thigh. Link's hat had shaken off in the scuffle, loose strands of wet hair clinging to his face. Without thinking, Sheik began brushing them back, threading his fingers through to find the worst of the tangles before combing them away. It was not until his hand passed over Link's eyes that he realized they had opened and were watching him hazily.

He pulled back quickly, searching for something to say when Link's hand lifted. Slowly, the hero brought his fingers to his mouth and bit down on the very edge of his gauntlet, pulling it off and brushing it aside. Still, his gaze refused to leave Sheik's face. With his bared arm he reached up, extended a finger, and gave Sheik's cheek a gentle poke.

On instinct, Sheik flinched away at the unexpected move before Link blinked and broke into a grin. The finger approached again, touching Sheik's masked nose this time, then trailed a line to his jaw and down his chin. A strong feeling of deja vu washed through Sheik's mind, but before he could place it a soft, broken chuckle overrode anything else.

Link's voice was rough, but his eyes had gained back a bit of brightness. "You're here."

It was hard to argue with that statement, so he merely blinked. Too aware of the warm hand resting over his face, he carefully answered. "As are you, hero."

Either he was losing his reflexes or Link typically gained incredible speed after nearly drowning, because by the time he had registered the arm wrapping his back the hero had thrown himself upright and pulled Sheik into a crushing embrace. Link's face was buried in the wet cloth at the junction of Sheik's neck and shoulders, his arms wrapped solidly around his chest. The position made it impossible for Sheik to win the battle of staying upright, and he fell back with the clinging blonde on top of him.

Link seemed to not care about this change in the slightest, only shifting his legs to lay behind him before attempting to burrow farther. His voice came out heavily muffled. "You're here." The feel of his breath seeped into Sheik's wet clothing, Link's fingers clinging to his top. "You're not, you're okay, you're…" The soft ramblings came out fragmented, and something warmer than the sea water hit his neck.

Startled, he let his hands rest on Link's shoulders. "Hero?" In response he felt Link shake his head, the chest against his trembling faintly. His hands crept across Link's back, one resting on the back of his neck while the other wove into the dripping locks of hair. There was something so important to talk about, but by the goddesses, it felt like Link was crying. And wasn't that worth the importance?

No, it wasn't, not with what was on the line. Still, he waited a long minute before he gave the hair he was stroking a soft pull. "Hero, you have to come out. Please, I need to talk to you." The body against him froze, then took in a slow inhale and pulled away. Link turned his face, scrubbing it on his sleeve before looking down with reddened eyes and a shaky smile.

"Yeah, sorry." He sat up, pulling Sheik with him and helplessly trying to brush some of the wet sand off the two of them. With Link sitting against him rumpled and faintly bruised, looking so vulnerable and real, Sheik could almost believe he felt his own soul beating. Still he pushed it away and forced the words out.

"Hero, you aren't meant to be here." Cautiously, he placed one hand on each of the green clad shoulders. "I don't... how did you get here?" That wasn't what he meant to say, and he blinked at his own choice of words.

Link allowed himself to be held out at arm's length, shrugging under Sheik's hold. "I don't know exactly, but Zelda's warp spell started it off."

"Her... Royal Highness?" Red eyes widened and trailed away in shock, before snapping back. "She is unharmed, she-"

"Zelda's fine, Sheik." Link's hands reached up to rest on Sheik's elbows, giving them a gentle squeeze. "We took care of Ganondorf together; he won't be coming back. Everyone's fine."

Her Royal Highness... Sheik felt his mind slowly grind to a halt. For her to be free the spell had to have worked, but that was impossible with him still alive and thinking, wasn't it?

"Sheik? Are you okay?"

It made absolutely no sense. He was Zelda's illusion; he had been dispelled. Zelda was alive and in the open, and he was still here. Link was still here. Link was talking to him like it was all normal; like sitting on an impossible beach with something that should not exist was what he did every day.

"Sheik, where are you? Come back, okay?" There were hands holding his face, and he blinked into focus with the concerned face of his musings watching him. Link's brows were furrowed, thumbs tracing small circles against the cloth of the cowl.

"Why are you here?" The words came out strangled, but before the hero could finish blinking in confusion Sheik had risen to his feet and backpedaled several steps. Link stood and took a stride forward to follow, but Sheik refused to allow any distance to close. "You aren't supposed to be here, _here_ isn't supposed to be here."

Something in Link's face clicked, then hardened as he tried to again advance. "Sheik."

"No, Hero, this isn't right!" On the next step he flipped back over a log and dropped to a defensive stance, trying to force Link to remain where he was long enough to force him to understand. "This isn't how it happens. You have to return, please, turn back time and forget me." His voice dropped to a low plea to the blue eyes watching him carefully. "Forget me and live."

Link had not moved, his posture still as stone. "What about you, Sheik? Why don't you have to live?"

Sheik closed his eyes tightly and forced in a breath, then opened them. As long as he had known it, he had never said the actual words aloud. "I can't live, Link. Don't you understand? I don't exist. I'm not real."

Link charged. It was a fast flurry of sudden blocks and reflexes against steel, the master sword blocked by Sheik's dirks in an instant. Adrenaline from pent up anxiety sang through Sheik's veins as he blocked a second blow and ducked an elbow, swinging out with his knee in an attempt to force the hero back. He was momentarily stunned when Link simply accepted the hit and used it to bend his knees and lunge forward. Within three more parries Sheik's back connected forcefully with a cliff wall, a gleaming blade an inch from his face. Link held up his intense gaze for barely a moment before he cast the sword aside, scowling at it. Sheik's dirks followed, pulled from fingers that did not have the willpower to resist.

There was a moment of blank silence before Link blew out a sigh of frustration and raked his bangs from his face. "Sheik." Hands were placed on the stone on either side of his face, trapping him between a wall and an angry Hero of Time. "Me remembering or not won't make you any less real. I don't care what some spell said, what Zelda intended, or what you thought. I don't." He dropped his head, narrowing his eyes at Sheik's boots. "I know what you tried to do, Sheik. I know that you had to lie to me and that you didn't want for me to be close." There was a bite of hurt in the soft tenor that was almost palpable, but Link swallowed around it and lifted his eyes to carry on.

"I'm sorry, Sheik, but I'm here because I love you."

And one by one, everything inside slowly broke. Sheik raised a shaking arm, then shook his head violently to contain it. He opened his mouth to search for the logic that had been his reality for so long, but to no avail. The basis of his life had started crashing around him, every impossibility locked behind iron doors running triumphantly through. Every dream he never had, every hope he didn't believe in. When he closed his eyes, they began spilling over his cheeks.

Distantly he was aware of being wrapped in an embrace and lowered to a sitting position, of fisting his hands in a tunic tightly enough to twist the fabric, of repeating "I'm sorry" until the words mulled together incoherently. Hands slowly ran over his head, his neck, and shoulders and a gentle voice broke through his sobs with soothing words.

"Hush Sheik, it's all right, it's okay now, don't cry..."

The sun finally dipped below the horizon, the first stars peeking into the night before his sobs finally stilled. He lifted his head and found a soft smile waiting for him. As Link methodically wiped his thumbs across what must have been impressive tear tracks, Sheik let out a small chuckle and located his voice. "You're here."

Link grinned in the starlight, making no move to release Sheik from his hold. "And I'm not leaving, either." The hand tending to his face slid beneath his chin, and together they closed the gap.


	11. Finale - The Story So Far

**Chapter 11**

**The Story So Far**

A damp breeze sent a drop of water splattering on Sheik's brow. Flinching, his eyes cracked open and scanned the surrounding area. He didn't need to look far to find the most important aspect, as it was currently resting against his chest and matching his slow, deep breathing. Link's head lay on Sheik's chest just above his heart, blond hair falling over his face as the hero slept on.

Memory of Link's confession flashed through Sheik's mind, making him flush and look away from the attractive picture on top of him. They hadn't progressed any further than their one masked kiss, too physically and emotionally drained to do much more than lean against each other for support. It seemed that resting had turned to sleeping at some point, although how exactly they had gotten into their current position was anyone's guess. Sheik now half-lay, half-reclined against the rocks of the cliff with Link sprawled face-down in the sand next to him. Well, his legs were in the sand at least. The rest of him had apparently decided that Sheik would make a good pillow.

Hesitantly, Sheik freed an arm and settled it on Link's back. He debated brushing some of the sand off of them, but he didn't want to wake Link over a lost cause. So much had happened in the past few hours that his mind was numb from whiplash, but he did know that Link deserved his rest. The light of dawn was just beginning to creep in; Sheik could stand to wait a little while for the sun to rise.

The wind picked up in a gust, rustling through the palms and loosing a nearby frond. Looking up, Sheik frowned at the dark clouds approaching the shore. A storm was building, and it looked to be a rough one. Perhaps he'd have to rouse the sleeping hero after all.

As it was, he didn't get the chance. Echoing footsteps hurried into the cove, followed by a familiar freckled face. The woman's white dress billowed about her as she brushed her wayward hair back, eyes searching the cove for the two men. She paused for a brief moment to smile, her dimples barely visible in the dim light, before grabbing her skirts again and darted over. The flower in her hair was missing, her face flushed and her breath short. Through her usual pleasant demeanor Sheik saw urgency and worry, causing him to sit up a little on automatic. Link grumbled quietly in opposition to the movement, but settled back down. "Your window - it is closing," The woman said, pointing to the horizon as she took a breath. "If you wish to leave this island, you must do it before the hurricane or you'll be trapped." She regained her usual composure, only her eyes belying the seriousness of her words.

"Trapped?" Sheik repeated just as Link stirred again. "There is a way to return to Hyrule?" From what he knew, his journey to the island was a one-way trip. Then again, he was being proven wrong a lot recently.

Link's arms unwound from Sheik's chest, and the hero rolled into a sitting position. Sheik felt his legs tingle in response - they must have fallen asleep at some point. Apparently Link had heard enough of the conversation in his half-awake state, because he immediately fixed a sleepy gaze on the young woman and asked: "How do we get back?" His voice was sleep-rough and his clothes rumpled, but the hero's eyes were sharp and determined. "The same way I got here? Warping magic?" Oddly enough, Link wasn't questioning the woman's appearance at all. In fact, there was a sort of familiarity in the look they shared. Sheik spared a moment to note just how ridiculous his life had become that he was neither surprised nor embarrassed about any of this situation. He had just been discovered cuddling the Hero of Time by an impossible woman who seemed to know both of them, but there were more important things at hand.

Shaking the feeling back into his legs, Sheik stood and offered Link a hand up. Link accepted at once, hauling himself to his feet and standing close enough for their shoulders to brush. Sheik resisted the urge to reach out and pull him closer, his body missing the warmth. The woman nodded, raising her voice over the whistling wind. "I can help you to begin, but you will need a focus. Something strong and clear. Is there someone at your home that wants you back as much as you do?"

Sheik and Link shared a look. An unspoken thought passed between them - there really could be only one answer. A slow smile spread across Link's face. "Yeah. Maybe even more than we do." he said. Sheik nodded, then gave Link's hip a gentle push towards the discarded Master Sword. Link let out a sound of realization and hurried off to gather their equipment. The excitement of the past few hours had left gear strewn across the entire cove.

Once he was out of earshot, Sheik turned back to the lady and set his jaw. From the sad smile on her face she already knew what he would say, but he forged ahead anyway. He was prepared, but he needed to know. "Two people in one spell is nearly impossible, even for short distances." He took a breath, then asked: "Are we both really going back?"

To his surprise, a soft chuckle was his answer. "Oh, Sheik." She lifted a slim hand, touching his covered cheek. The gesture was one only Link had used before, but from her it felt more familial - like a comforting elder sister. "Use your logic properly for once. A warp needs complete concentration on one goal, yes? Do you really think his goal is to return, or to return _with you_? The only way this works is with you both, just as it always was."

Sheik swallowed hard, but nodded into her hand. She smiled and lowered her hand, and Link returned by his side with his arms overladen in blades and gear. Sheik took his dirks and lyre as Link stuffed his hat into his pack. As he finished equipping himself, Sheik felt a hesitant touch to his forearm. Looking over, he found Link staring at the ocarina in his hands with a torn expression. "Don't..." he began, barely audible before he cleared his throat. "Don't let go, all right?"

In that moment, Sheik saw the truth in the woman's words. Link would never leave this island alone. It was together, or not at all. Wasn't that what love meant?

Reaching over, Sheik took Link's bare hand and laced their fingers together. There was sand in his wraps, but when he felt a little squeeze in return he couldn't help but smile. "Never."

"Ready?" At her voice, both warriors turned and nodded. The woman's hair whipped about her in an aura, but her face was calm. "The song of the sacred instruments will call to the dreamers. It will bring them back to their waking world, where they belong." She spared a moment to meet each of their eyes in turn, lips quirking. "And it will bring them together, so long as you play it right." Link raised his ocarina and Sheik positioned his lyre, not needing instruction as to which song they would play. The woman straightened, her voice ringing clear. "Focus on the one on the other side, they will guide your way."

Just before the three of them began the song, Sheik swore he heard Link chuckle. "She always does".

X

On top of the Lon-Lon wall, a little blue fairy was pacing around in circles. Every now and then her wings would flick to attention and she would dart into the air, only to drift back down a few moments later and resume pacing. As the sun rose above the horizon she paused, rubbed her eyes with a tiny fist, and let out a shaky breath.

"Navi?" A gentle voice down below drew the fairy's attention, if only for a moment. The Princess Zelda stood there with a small bowl of dried fruits and breads in her hands. The simple dress she wore fit well, but looked odd with the her regal circlet and braids. The Princess seemed equally out of place, not just because of the borrowed clothes. "Would you like something to eat?" She paused, then lifted the bowl higher. "It will help keep your strength up."

Navi began to shake her head, but thought better of it. Floating down, she picked a raisin and a crumb from the bowl. _"Thank you Zelda - I mean Princess."_ Unable to help herself, she looked over her shoulder again at the field. In the sunrise she could almost make out the little hidden nook in the mountainside. _"Are you really sure we should have left the cave?"_ It was not the first time she had asked that question, but Zelda didn't seem to mind.

"Yes Navi, I am. If..." the princess winced, then corrected herself in a firmer tone. "When they return, it is likely to be a place they are familiar with. Somewhere that can be pictured clearest."

_"Mnm."_ With that noncommittal, distracted noise, Navi returned to her vigil. Zelda watched the tiny light for a moment longer before turning back to the ranch with a barely audible sigh. A minute later Navi could hear Malon's voice, speaking in her soft drawl. The two women had adapted to the situation with a determination and strength, Malon busying herself providing clean clothing, food and a quiet place for the newly returned princess. Zelda in return was learning what her transfered knowledge had missed, aquatinting herself with the kingdom she would lead and try to heal. Of course, every now and then they would glance to the wall and speak in lowered voices as they watched the dimming light on patrol.

Navi wasn't stupid. She had knowledge of every corner of Hyrule - she knew what Zelda and Malon were saying in their whispers. Looking down at her raisin, the fairy forced herself to take a bite before dropping the rest and nudging it off the side of the wall. She knew they were talking about her, pitying the poor little guide that couldn't accept that Link would never return. But she also knew something they didn't - something even the Triforce of Wisdom couldn't comprehend. Link promised. And that was a force greater than any impossibility, and that meant Link would come back just as he said. And Navi would be waiting to give him an earful for taking so long.

Swiping another hand over her glowing eyes (terrible thing, dust) she stretched her wings and prepared for another few laps. At a small gust however, she paused and lifted her head. Something smelled salty, and sandy. Sort of like a sea-storm, but the sky was clear. Also there was no sea in the middle of a field. Wings fluttering in confusion, Navi turned a slow circle like she expected the source of this abnormality to appear behind her.

Suddenly there was an deafening crash, like a hundred windows breaking in one blow. With a shriek, Navi fell off the wall and dropped a few feet before she remembered how to fly. Darting back up to a hover, she scanned the area frantically and froze at the sight of two figures collapsed in the grass.

"_ZEEEEELDAAAA!"_

X

There was something loud and bright screaming in Link's ear. It was really not helping his pounding headache any - neither were the insistant yanks on his hair. Forcing his gritty eyes open a crack, he mumbled something incoherent to show his disapproval. This succeeded in stopping the yanking, although the headache and noise remained. In fact, it seemed to increase as a lower voice approached. A swath of auburn entered Link's vision, and suddenly there were slim hands holding his face as the words softened. He heard his name, but didn't feel the need to reply. He already knew who he was, after all.

Another flash of color - this one blond - brushed past him. From the corner of his eye Link saw the blond blob stop nearby, lowering close to a blue and white shadow in the grass. Grass? Idly, Link curled his fingers and pulled out a few blades. Yes, grass. He liked grass.

A third voice from the blond blob was talking, repeating a different name than the auburn blob. Link frowned, trying to hear. When it finally processed, his eyes snapped open. Sheik.

With another mumble, this one distressed, Link made an almighty effort to sit up. He had to get to Sheik! Unfortunately, his almighty effort was quite easily pushed back down by a firm hand. Changing tactics, Link flailed his arms and tried to roll across the grass. That too was foiled, but there were now different words being exchanged very quickly. Something grabbed his arm and stretched it out, towards the shadow in the grass. At the same time the blond blob moved, and Link felt his hand touching something new. Another hand, one wrapped in bandages was underneath his. It was just barely moving, but it was warm and alive. The panic drained from Link, and as he weakly curled his fingers he felt Sheik do the same.

X

"Really, you brush her any longer and she'll have no hair left." Link jumped, pulled from his thoughts as he turned to find Malon behind him. Belatedly, he realized that he had been brushing the same spot on Epona's flank for a while now. The rancher held out her hand, and Link sheepishly relinquished the brush. Epona nickered and flicked her tail at them before wandering off to graze.

It had taken two hours of flurried questions, healing, and scolding before Link and Sheik were declared fit to stand. It had taken another hour for Navi to finally calm down and retire under Link's hat - the toll of the past few days finally taking hold of her little body. Link expected more reprimands later, but for now he just enjoyed the familiar weight of a fairy sleeping on his head.

"Sorry Malon. It's just..." Link made a helpless gesture across the field as his sentence trailed off. By the house, Sheik and Zelda were having a quiet conversation. Link had made an effort to at least pretend he wasn't watching, but he couldn't help stealing glances every few seconds. Sheik's posture was so attentive it was almost rigid, although this was an improvement from the beginning of the conversation when he had to be coaxed out of kneeling. Zelda in turn, was holding herself regally if not a little uncertainly - like she wasn't used to her body just yet. That at least, Link could relate to. As Link watched, Zelda nodded and made a small gesture. It wasn't until Malon cleared her throat that Link realized his staring and flushed.

"I guess I want to know what they're saying," he settled for quietly. It was a difficult thing to express, even to a friend like Malon. He didn't know how to explain this fear, that Zelda might take Sheik away. Even in his head it sounded silly, but Sheik held his duty to the princess over his own life. If she asked him to dress like a Great Fairy and go live with the Gerudos he'd do it.

...All right that was an odd example.

Luckily, Link was brought out of this train of thought by a nudge to the shoulder. Malon smirked at him, her eyes practically dancing as she pointed. "Well they're done now, go on over and ask. I'm sure Sheik won't mind telling you." Pocketing the brush in her apron, she walked back to the barn and left Link to follow her command.

Taking a deep breath, Link mustered any courage he had left and padded across the pasture. Zelda was indeed peeling away, looking satisfied as she gracefully lifted her skirt to step into the house. Sheik was left standing alone, his posture once the princess was from view. A less discerning eye would catch no difference, but Link knew Sheik's body language well enough to see the weariness in his stance. The warrior was worn and dirty, probably close to how Link himself looked and felt at the moment. As he closed in, Sheik's head turned his way. There was a small moment of silent communication before Sheik lifted a hand and made a small 'follow me' motion. By the back wall was a gnarled oak that provided some shade from the midday sun, and after a small hesitance Sheik sat down under it. Link followed suit with much less grace and picked at a strand of grass. He fished for something to say, but came up more or less empty. "So. Nice talk?"

Sheik made a noncommittal noise, easing his way back to lean against the trunk. When he spoke, his smooth tenor was less fluid than usual as he chose his words. "It seems that Her Royal Highness had my knowledge transfered to her, much as hers was to me on my creation. It was...an unusual concept to grasp, but useful in her decision-making."

With a great effort Link forced his face to remain neutral. Still, his words came out a bit pitchier than usual. "Oh, she decided something?"

"She... offered something." Sheik paused for an agonizing moment, cowl shifting in thought. "I have been offered Lady Impa's former position of royal bodyguard, should I wish it. The Princess requests that I wait at least seven days before answering."

Link let out a slow breath, some of his tension dissipating. He made a note to thank Zelda later for not pressing a decision right away. "Well that's a good thing, right? Nice offer and time to think your options over."

Sheik just shifted a shoulder in what might have been a shrug. There was silence for a few minutes, broken only by the sounds of the ranch. Finally, Sheik spoke so lowly that Link had to lean in to hear. "I've never had options before." Link opened his mouth, but stopped his reply as Sheik continued. "May I ask something of you?"

In his hurry to nod Link nearly bit his tongue off. "Sure, anything." Red eyes flicked his way, then dropped to the grass. Slowly Sheik reached up, hooking a finger in the front of the soft white mask. In one smooth movement the mask was pulled down over nose, lips, chin, revealing the face that had tortured Link's curiosity for so long. Link had a moment to take in a strong jaw and soft mouth before he hurriedly averted his eyes, cheeks burning. "What ah, what did you want to ask?"

Gentle, calloused fingertips touched his chin, guiding his gaze back in silent permission. The bridge of Sheik's straight nose had gone pink, and Link's heart rejoiced at finally being able to notice it. "You said something to me a little while ago," Sheik began, "when you were telling me why... why you came for me." Link pulled himself from his staring long enough to think back. He said something-oh. Oh. That. The nervous fluttering that had dissipated returned tenfold. Sheik seemed to share the sentiment, as he had to clear his throat twice before getting the question out. "I was wondering if you would say it again. Please."

Link swallowed hard, meeting Sheik's gaze. In the red depths he saw his own fear reflected back at him, uncertainty and doubt, but over it all was a glowing hope. Clinging to that, he spoke the truth with soft conviction. "I love you Sheik."

And as Sheik slowly smiled, hope shone bright as the sun. "I love you, Link. I am sorry for not saying it before, please accept it now."

All Link's breath left him with a rush of air, and he could take it no longer. Leaning forward, he cupped Sheik's warm neck and pressed their lips together. Sheik's hands wove into his hair, sending a tingle of pleasure down his spine. The unique scent of cinnamon and ashes teased Link's senses. It was a simple kiss, but the lack of mask was a delight that had Link sneaking an extra touch as they parted. For a long moment, they remained inches apart and simply breathed. Breaking his gaze, Link slid closer until their sides were touching and shared Sheik's backrest against the tree trunk. He privately rejoiced when Sheik responded by relaxing farther, the warmth of their touching bodies spreading. "So what happens now?"

Sheik hummed, tilting his face to the sky. His eyes were closed, a shaft of sunlight drifting across his cheeks. It was a peaceful expression that Link already knew he would never tire of seeing. "Hyrule is in disarray, there is much to be done. Nothing is for certain. But the impossible has happened enough times this week that perhaps we deserve a short rest."

"I like how you think." Daring to lean his head against Sheik's shoulder, Link closed his eyes and smiled when he felt a strong arm wrap his waist and hold him in place. He was filthy and bruised, Navi was drooling in his hair and an entire kingdom needed rebuilt, but Link had a feeling it was going to be a wonderful day.

X

X

X

Notes: To all my wonderful readers, I can't thank you enough. Years after I first posted chapter one, we finally made it to the end. It's been one hell of a trip - eleven chapters, six years, and a few mental breakdowns. I really wanted to get this up this week because it marks something else in my life - I'm a college graduate!

I hope all of you have had a great few years, thank you all.

-Zeffy


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